College teachers from across Karachi staged a large protest rally on Monday, demanding immediate implementation of long-pending service and welfare reforms, including the five-tier service structure, direct recruitment on vacant posts and improved allowances.
Organised by the Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA), Karachi region, the rally began at Government S.M. Arts and Commerce College and proceeded towards the Sindh Secretariat, where it culminated in a protest sit-in. Teachers carrying banners and placards raised slogans in support of their demands and criticised what they termed continued official indifference to their month-long protest movement across the province.
The protesters demanded an increase in house rent, conveyance and medical allowances, along with urgent measures to improve the deteriorating conditions of public colleges. They warned that the lack of facilities and unresolved administrative issues were directly affecting teachers’ performance and the overall quality of higher education.
SPLA President Prof Munawwar Abbas expressed disappointment over the government’s response, stating that the education minister had made no effort to engage with the protesting teachers. He said this reflected a lack of seriousness towards issues facing college education in Sindh.
The teachers urged the government to take all stakeholders on board and initiate meaningful dialogue to resolve the problems confronting educational institutions. They also announced that their next protest rally would be held outside Bilawal House on February 12 if their demands continued to be ignored.
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Several senior academics addressed the gathering, including Prof Adeel Khawja, Prof Asif Muneer, Prof Shabana Afzal, Prof Mir Bahar, Prof Abdur Rasheed, Prof Zahid Lateef, Prof Shafaq Zehra and Prof Naveed Ali.
