Privatisation of educational institutions Opposed

Privatisation of edu institutions opposed
Karachi: After the deterioration of education in public schools, now the education in government colleges is being targeted to promote private institutions in the city.

Use of unfair means in the colleges is a great conspiracy against such institutions in the province while the future of around 6,00,000 students, studying in the public colleges in Sindh, is at the stake. Capitalists, running business in the education sector, in association with corrupt politicians and bureaucrats of Sindh Education Department are trying to target the college teachers by adding their service problems so that the education at private colleges can be encouraged. These views were expressed by central leaders of Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA), while talking to The Nation on Sunday.

SPLA central leader Professor Ather Hussain Mirza said that the colleges in the province had become vulnerable due to negligence of authorities concerned; similarly the college teachers were suffering with low salaries and low job security, despite the role of the teachers in uplifting the society. He said, "At the time of the partition (1947) there were only four colleges in the province, including SM Science College, DJ Sindh Government Science College, Govt College Hyderabad Kalimore, and Govt C & S College Skiharpur. Now the province has 248 public colleges out which 124 colleges are situated only in the metropolis. Government colleges have great reputation as compare to schools, but corrupt elements wanted to promote private college education in the province. The colleges teachers are considered as the major hurdle and stumbling block in term of privatising the colleges; that is why they are being targeting and deprived of basic service rights, including health insurance, job confirmation, housing project, up-gradation and increase in salaries.

Talking about the use of unfair means, he alleged that corruption was deliberately introduced in 1972 on community basis to defame education in the government colleges, while at the outset Hindu Community had spent huge funds to get cleared their students in the examinations. It is pertinent to mention here that the cheating mafia, backed by some students' political wings, has threatened the teachers of some colleges for dire consequences during the currently held HSC examinations.

Assistant Prof Yaqoob Chandio said that Sindh Education Department was giving priority to junior over senior teachers, as in the majority colleges of Sindh. Junior teachers are working as in-charge principal, which is contrary to the service laws, he said, adding that college education was being targeted deliberately as 80 per cent colleges in the province are working under the supervision of junior teachers. The Nation