Professors protest college neglect

Hundreds of college teachers took to the streets of Karachi on Thursday to protest the deteriorating condition of Sindh’s public colleges and call for urgent solutions to their long-standing problems. The rally, organised by the Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA), stretched from Government SM Arts and Commerce College to the Sindh Secretariat, with female and male teachers carrying banners, chanting slogans, and demanding their rights.

SPLA President Munawar Abbas criticised the provincial government for treating Sindh’s public colleges like “stepchildren,” saying the College Education Department has been largely ignored by the Education Department. “The Minister of Education has failed to pay attention to the needs of our colleges. The Sindh government should appoint a dedicated minister for the College Education Department,” Abbas said. He called for urgent improvements in college infrastructure, furniture, and lab equipment, as well as the publication of updated Computer Science, Commerce, and Arts textbooks under the Sindh Textbook Board.

Karachi region SPLA President Professor Asif Munir added that teachers urgently require the implementation of the five-year formula, filling of vacant positions through DPC. The SPLA warned that if these demands are not met, teachers will stage a sit-in in front of Bilawal House on February 12.