KARACHI/SUKKUR: Reactingtothe chief minister`s remarks about some vice chancellors facing serious allegations and his inability to remove them, the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (Fapuasa) has said it`s time that the government holds itself accountable for its actions.

In an open letter released on Thursday evening, the association stated that the CM`s own admission of appointing 38 VCs and subsequent allegations against some of them for `corruption and harassment is a stark acknowledgment of the flaws in his own policies`.

`Instead of deflecting blame onto universities, it is high time to hold yourselfand your administration accountable for these decisions,` stated the letter written by Dr Ikhtiar Ghumro and Abdul Rahman Nagraj, president and general secretary of Fapuasa-Sindh.

Itsaid thatthe association had repeatedly emphasised the need to appoint vice chancellors on merit. `Unfortunately, most appointments have been made based on political affiliations, kickbacks, or personal connections,` it alleged.

Pointing to `flawed search committees`, the association stated that the government consistently ignored its concerns over its composition and performance.

`These committees dominated by bureaucrats and a few retired vice chancellors conduct superficial interviews lasting mere minutes to recommend names for appointment. In many cases, the names of the eventual appointees were known well in advance due to their political connections, undermining the credibility of the entire process.

`Moreover, you hold the authority toapprove or reject these recommendations.Ifthe candidates presented by the search committees were inadequate, why did you not exercise your power to return the names for reconsideration or demand a re-advertisement of the positions? Your failure to ensure transparency and merit-based selections has directly contributed to the current state of universities,` the letter read.

Referring to the Universities Act that mandates a biannual performance evaluation of vice chancellors, the teachers questioned as to why the government/ administration never utilised this mechanism, if there were evidences of corruption, inefficiency or harassment.

On advocating bureaucrats to lead universities, the teachers call for evaluating their own track record. `How many departments under your administration, including education, health, police, and municipal services, are free from corruption? Universities cannot and should not become a testing ground for bureau-cratic experiments, especially when the performance of bureaucrats in their own domains leaves much to be desired,` the letter added.

Protests in varsities across Sindh continue For the sixth consecutive day on Thursday, academic activities in the public universities across Sindh remained completely suspended on the call of the Fapuasa Sindh chapter.

Following the decision made during a Fapuasa Sindh`s online meeting on Wednesday, the university faculty members in Khairpur staged a protest demonstration in front of the local press club.

Simultaneously, coordinated protests by faculty organisations of the universities were held in front of press clubs in other cities of Sindh, including a demonstration in front of the Karachi Press Club by faculty members from Karachi University and Sindh Madressatul Islam University.

The protesters reiterated their demands at similar protests held in front of the Hyderabad Press Club by the faculty organisations of Sindh University, Jamshoro; Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET), Jamshoro; Government College University, Hyderabad; Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, and Sindh University of Sufism and Modern Sciences, Bhitshah.

In Khairpur, the protest was led by Prof Dr Ikhtiar Ali Ghumro, president of Saluta and Fapuasa, Sindh chapter. A large number of faculty members from Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur; the Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University of Technology and Skill Development, Khairpur, and Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto campus of the MUET, Khairpur, also participated in the demonstration.

The Shah Abdul Latif University Officers Welfare Association le d by it s President Muhammad Murad Pirzado and representatives of the Shah Abdul Latif University Employees Union also joined the protest.

During the demonstration, Prof Dr Ikhtiar Ali Ghumro and other leaders demanded that the proposed amendments to the Universities Act, aimed at appointing bureaucrats as vice chancellors be withdrawn; faculty appointments be made on a permanent basis; the authority to issue NOCs for faculty to attend international conferences and research visits be remained with the vice chancellors; universities be granted financial support to overcome their financial crises; the Higher Education Commission (HEC) respect the autonomy of the universities and the federal government revoke its decision to withdraw the 25pc tax relief given to faculty members.-By Faiza Ilyas and Waseem Shamsi