Students, teachers, staff stage parallel protests over exam disruptions, fee hikes, administrative collapse
Participants accused the administration of “turning education into a joke,” saying students who travel long distances and prepare diligently are repeatedly confronted with postponed or boycotted examinations. PHOTO: EXPRESS
KARACHI:
Protest tensions gripped the University of Karachi on Monday as students, faculty and employees took to the streets in separate but overlapping demonstrations over cancelled examinations, rising fees and a deepening financial and administrative crisis at the institution.
The protests were organised by Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba and a student alliance, who staged a demonstration and later marched from Terminal Point to Pharmacy Chowk, raising slogans against university policies and repeated academic disruptions.
Participants accused the administration of “turning education into a joke”, saying students who travel long distances and prepare diligently were repeatedly confronted with postponed or boycotted examinations.
They said such uncertainty was causing severe mental stress and academic loss, adding that despite heavy fees, basic facilities on campus remained inadequate. Protesters also blamed ongoing disputes between faculty and administration for directly harming students’ academic progress, urging both sides to resolve their issues urgently.
Read More: KU teachers. employees accuse VC of financial irregularities
Separately, on the 25th day of an ongoing protest movement at the university, a large number of teachers, officers, employees and students gathered outside the Administration Block for a strong demonstration and march.
The participants raised slogans against financial mismanagement, administrative inefficiency and what they described as the “collapse of the academic environment” at the institution.
Speakers alleged that issues, including house ceiling, arrears, evening programme dues, examination payments, leave encashment, supervisor fees and retired employees’ dues, were pending for a long time. They accused the administration of delaying tactics, pressure politics and a lack of seriousness in resolving long-standing financial disputes.
The protesters expressed deep concern that a premier educational institution had been pushed to a point where all stakeholders — teachers, staff and students — were forced onto the streets, while authorities continue to avoid meaningful action.
They warned that if the issues were not resolved immediately, the protest movement would be intensified, and the administration and relevant government authorities would be held responsible for the consequences.
The demonstrators also announced that protests would continue even on Eid days, with a rally planned outside the Administration Block, in which families of teachers and employees would also participate to highlight the wider human impact of the crisis.
They urged the Sindh chief minister and Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to take immediate notice of the situation, order transparent inquiries into financial and administrative mismanagement, ensure payment of outstanding dues, and take urgent steps to prevent further deterioration of the university.
