APUBTA Appeals to Chief Justice Over Denial of Varsity Teachers’ Rights

Shazia Mehboob

Islamabad: The leadership of the All Public Universities BPS Teachers Association (APUBTA) has made a fervent appeal to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Qazi Faiz Issa, to take legal notice of the denial and abuse of fundamental rights afflicting varsity teachers.

This appeal encompasses the teachers’ right to professional growth, the right to association, and the right to assemble peacefully, all of which are safeguarded by the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Furthermore, APUBTA has raised concerns regarding the actions of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman. In the wake of his inability to divide the teaching community, the chairman has resorted to repressive measures aimed at stifling the voices of varsity teachers through the intermediaries of Vice-Chancellors (VCs) and university administrations.This appeal serves as a resounding call for justice and protection of the rights that form the bedrock of Pakistan’s academic community. It underscores the critical importance of upholding constitutional rights and fostering an environment where teachers can thrive professionally, associate freely, and engage in peaceful assembly without fear of repression.

Addressed the protesting varsity teachers who had come from all parts of the country, they announced that the sit-in protest would continue until the notification of approval of the promotion policy and service structure by HEC.

The APUBTA launched a sit-in outside the HEC Head Office, Sector H-9, Islamabad, on October 31. The sit-in will continue until the issuance of a notification of approval of the promotion policy for the BPS teachers serving in about 150 public sector universities in the country.HEC Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmad subverted the local administration’s efforts to help initiate talks between HEC officials and APUBTA leadership. The APUBTA leadership accepted and finalised the names of its representatives for talks. However, the chairman was not ready to meet and instead he sent two officials for talks.

Resultantly, the negotiations could not start, due to which the leadership of APUBTA announced that it would continue its sit-in protest the next day (Wednesday, November 1, 2023).

The speakers said that the chairman was bent upon destroying the educational process and peaceful environment in universities through instigating a tussle between the teaching community and the VCs and administrations of the public sector universities. They requested that the VCs refuse to accept the dictates of Dr Mukhtar for the sake of the congenial teaching environment in their universities.They demanded the federal government, especially the prime minister and the federal minister of education, take notice of the irresponsible behaviour of Chairman.

ABUPTA, the sole registered and elected representative body of university BPS teachers, is struggling for the right to promote BPS university teachers. The right to promotion has been accorded to the employees of all public sector organisations and government departments. But the university BPS teachers are denied and deprived of this right in grave violation of the teachings of Islam and provisions of the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

The varsity teachers have not been given this right due to the criminal negligence on the part of HEC since its inception in 2002. As per Section 10(q) of HEC Ordinance 2002, it is the prime responsibility of HEC to frame the criteria and guidelines for the promotion of university teachers.

Photo Credit: ThePenpk.com