Daijiworld Media Network – Karachi
Karachi, Apr 9: Amid growing dissatisfaction with the Sindh government, the Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA) has announced a protest movement to address long-standing grievances of college educators across the province.
According to local media, the protest will kick off with a sit-in in Sukkur on April 15, followed by demonstrations in Hyderabad on April 17 and Karachi on April 22.
SPLA president Munawar Abbas and secretary general Ghulam Mustafa Kaka, speaking alongside other leaders, said college teachers have been consistently sidelined despite repeated appeals to the Sindh Education Minister. “Every level of teaching from primary to university has seen upgradation, yet college teachers remain neglected,” they said.
At the heart of the protest is a 14-point charter of demands, which includes adopting the five-tier promotion formula currently implemented in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, issuing health cards for education staff, and introducing fair promotion opportunities.
The SPLA is also pushing for the reconstruction of colleges, modern digital classrooms, a permanent transfer/posting policy, and stronger laws to protect college premises from violence and vandalism.
Leaders of the association emphasized that the movement is not only for the welfare of teachers but also aimed at revamping Sindh’s deteriorating educational infrastructure.
This protest comes in the wake of widespread unrest in universities across Sindh, following the controversial passage of the Sindh Universities and Institutes Law (Amendment) Act, 2025, on February 1. The law allows the appointment of bureaucrats as vice-chancellors a move condemned by academics who fear increased political interference in higher education.
Despite opposition from the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and a boycott by university faculty, the Sindh Assembly moved ahead with the amendment, sparking province-wide academic protests and class suspensions.
With tensions running high, the college teachers’ upcoming demonstrations add to the mounting pressure on the Sindh government to reassess its approach to education policy and administration.