SPLA protests handing over girls colleges to NGOs | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

SPLA protests handing over girls colleges to NGOs

KARACHI – Central leaders of Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA), Karachi chapter, have strongly condemned the government’s decision to hand over the management of RLAK Govt College of Home Economics and Khatoon-e-Pakistan Girls College to two NGOs, namely Zindagi Trust and Book Group.

They threatened that SPLA would launch a protest on Monday in all of the city colleges and classes would remain suspended during the demonstration. Besides, the RALK and Khatoon-e-Pakistan colleges will also keep the classes suspended on Friday (today) in protest against the government’s decision, they said.

Secretary Education Rizwan Memon and Director General Colleges Sindh Dr Rafiqu Ahmed Siddiqui are facilitating the said NGOs to grab the precious lands of the said colleges, while both the institutions are waiting upgradation as universities on their remarkable performance.

Speaking at a press conference, held at RLAK Govt College of Home Economics on Thursday, the SPLA representatives unanimously demanded the authorities concerned to remove secretary education and DG colleges Sindh.

President SPLA Karachi Region Prof Ather Hussain Mirza, Prof Asif Zaidi, Prof Dr Arshad, Prof Muzaffar Rizvi, Prof Iftikhar Azmi, other office bearers, Principal RLAK Govt College Dr Rubina Hakim, Principal Khatoon-e-Pakistan Girls College, Zahida Perveen, and parents of the students of both colleges were also present on the occasion.

Prof Athar Hussain Mirza said this was the worst example in the country’s history that singers and dancers were invited by the government to run colleges in the city whereas both of the colleges were performing extraordinarily. He said that teachers’ community would launch a massive protest movement against the policies of the education department. This is disgusting that the higher officials of the education department are involved in this anti-education plot, he said and added that the conspiracy was being hatched to provide some influential land-grabbers to occupy the highly expensive land on Stadium Road.

“There is no difference between the Musharraf regime and present democratic government with regard to their anti-educational polices”, he said.

Prof Muzaffar Rizvi said that government’s decision to hand over the management of renowned colleges to NGOs was a cruel joke with the education. He further said that teachersÂ’ fraternity would fight firmly against such policies and corrupt officials of the department, who were intent to undermine the foundation of education in the province.

Prof Iftikhar Azmi said, “The colleges of the city are suffering huge shortage of teacher, lack of infrastructure, paucity of lab instruments and technicians but the education department is not heeding over the issues of the colleges and teachers as well. Conversely, nearly Rs 100 million has already been allocated for education sector but the secretary education and DG Colleges Sindh were not willing to release those funds.”

Principal RLAK Govt College, Dr Rubina Hakim, said that members of Zindagi Trust came at the colleges few days ago with their architect and misbehave with the teachers and non-academic staff of the college. She said, “It is difficult to understand that how such NGOs will run the colleges whereas the head of the Zindagi Trust Shahzad Roy is just intermediate while other members are also poorly qualified.”
Source: The Nation
Date:9/26/2008