Why is HEC reluctant to its commitments
Dr. Imtiaz Ahmad
Higher education in Pakistan could not achieve its required and claimed aims. The government established the Higher Education Commission (HEC) for this purpose, but unfortunately, it badly failed to meet its targets. Regrettably, the commission divided teachers into groups, making a grave mistake as one country, two systems never bear fruit but only destruction. This approach caused a decline in universities and higher education instead of increasing their numbers. HEC’s self-report in this regard is astonishing, so I will not waste time on it. HEC admits that it has ruined and failed to maintain
. standards
The situation of teachers working in universities is more critical than what is discussed concerning education. Every day, new experiments are conducted on these teachers, and HEC and vice-chancellors are playing with their careers. Some teachers spend their entire careers on the same scale, while others are promoted within days based on experimental selection criteria. This approach destroys the sanctity of teachers, and they are involved in new experiments to meet the frequently revised HEC criteria for reappointment, contrary to the HEC ordinance and the job nature of
. teaching for which they are hired
The All Pakistan Universities BPS Teachers’ Association (APUBTA) raised this issue and defended it on various platforms such as the National Assembly, Senate, commission, standing committees, Ministry of Education, universities, government officials, and others. However, HEC is still reluctant to resolve the issue. Despite various agreements signed with HEC and standing committees, the problem remains unresolved. Why is this so? Why are teachers protesting on the roads instead of teaching in classrooms, even though the government provision exists in the HEC ordinance, and all the authorities agree and direct HEC to
? resolve the issue
Why has the government failed to force the Chairman of HEC to fulfill his agreement and follow the ordinance while stopping violations? Why hasn’t he been removed if he is reluctant to follow the ordinance? Why is he committed to a third system if he cannot defend one country, two
? systems
Indeed, APUBTA shall continue to stand for its fundamental legitimate rights of promotion to raise the standards of higher education and secure the dignity of teachers. As announced in its annual convention at Islamabad Press club on March 17, APUBTA shall again observe its protest at Islamabad in first week of May 2023, of countrywide BPS teachers, and it shall continue until the issue is resolved. The government authorities are requested to direct the HEC Chairman to resolve the issues in a dignified manner as per the signed agreements before the
. deadline
Teachers can no longer accept the illegal and questionable experiments of the HEC, and as government employees, university teachers will take to the streets to reject any violation of their basic rights and the HEC ordinance. No one is above the law and the constitution of Pakistan, especially when it comes to the careers of
. highly educated teachers
The writer is a PhD from the University of Essex, UK, and working as an Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of
. Malakand
