Rawalpindi : A large number of professors, lecturers (males/females), and students of government colleges came out on roads in a rally form and strongly protested for pay and service protection. The angry protesters blocked Murree Road and raised full-voiced slogans against the government. The rally which was organised by the Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association (PPLA) started from Government Gordon College to Rawalpindi Press Club (RPC) on Friday. The protesters blocked College Road and Main Murree Road. Professors and lecturers boycotted classes of all government colleges including Government Asghar Mall College, Government Mohan Pura College for Women, Government Hashmat Ali Islamia College for Boys, Government Degree College for Women Dhok Kala Khan, Government College for Women Gujar Khan, and Government Degree College Doltala on Friday.
The protesters have warned the Punjab government to accept their demands immediately otherwise all 6,500 affected professors and lecturers would block all main roads in the province.
The protesters carried banners and placards in their hands raising slogans against the government. Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association (PPLA) have decided to continue protest demonstration till issuing of a proper notification for accepting their demands.
Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association (PPLA) President Khurram Shahzad condemned the provincial government for not providing them pay and service protection. There is no future of professors and lecturers here in the country because the Punjab government was only telling lies otherwise nothing, he said.
Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association (PPLA) Senior Executive Member Chaudhry Ghulam Murtaza said that over 5,000 seats of lecturers and professors are vacant in all government colleges since 2017, but nobody is taking interested to fill up the vacant posts. The Punjab government is fully trying to hand over the colleges in Punjab to a private entity but we are continuously resisting s it, he said.
He said that on April 1, 2019, Minister for Higher Education Raja Yasir Humayun Sarfraz made a written agreement with (PPLA) to provide them pay protection including promotions and all other benefits, and assured that all colleges will remain in government entities rather than private entities. But, Minister for Higher Education did not honour his words, he denounced.
The other speakers said that promotion cases are still pending for three years but the government is not taking interest in this matter. The future of thousands of students is also at stake due to government wrong policies, they denounced.
The students are paying unaffordable rise in fee in colleges and universities, therefore, a large number of students came out on roads on Friday.
