Teachers from all over Pakistan, including Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan, are set to demonstrate in front of the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) office in Islamabad. The protest, organized by the All Public Universities BPS Teachers Association (APUBTA), aims to draw attention to the delay in issuing a notification regarding the approval of their service structure and promotion policy.
The teachers, who are part of the Basic Pay Scale (BPS), are frustrated by what they call the HEC’s “criminal negligence” in failing to establish a service structure, which has resulted in the denial of their fundamental right to promotion. Despite two decades passing since the requirement to prepare promotion criteria was outlined in the HEC ordinance of 2002, no substantial progress has been made. This issue affects over 50,000 BPS faculty members in public sector universities.
APUBTA has been protesting for three years, asserting that the HEC has repeatedly made unfulfilled commitments to address their concerns. An HEC official, however, stated that a committee of vice-chancellors has recently forwarded recommendations to universities for implementation and promised to consider the teachers’ demands.
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In essence, the teachers’ demonstration seeks to highlight their struggles and the alleged discriminatory and exploitative policies of the HEC. They demand the issuance of a notification regarding the approval of service structure and promotion policies, emphasizing the urgency of the issue in ensuring fair opportunities for teachers in Pakistan’s public universities.