Karachi University teachers call off boycott of classes

KARACHI: Teachers at the University of Karachi ended their 10-day boycott of classes on Monday after receiving assurances from the provincial government that their pending payments would be cleared soon.

The teachers, who had been protesting since September 22 over non-payment of arrears and increments, resumed their academic duties after meeting with the secretary of universities and boards, who represented the caretaker chief minister of Sindh.

“We have been assured that our issues will be resolved in a timely manner and we have decided to call off our strike in the larger interest of the students,” said Dr. Shakeel Farooqi, president of the Karachi University Teachers Society (KUTS).

Read more: Karachi University teachers announce complete boycott of classes from today

He said the teachers had suffered financial hardships due to the delay in payments, which had been pending for more than a year.

The strike had affected thousands of students enrolled in both morning and evening shifts at the public university, which is one of the largest and oldest in Pakistan.

Some students welcomed the end of the strike, saying they had been worried about their academic progress and exams.

“I am happy that the classes have resumed. I hope there will be no more disruptions in the future,” said Ayesha Khan, a final-year student of mass communication.

The university administration said it had tried to resolve the teachers’ grievances through dialogue and had also waived off their fees for MPhil and PhD programmes.

“We appreciate the teachers’ decision to end their boycott and we hope to work together to improve the quality of education at the university,” said Dr. Khalid Iraqi, vice-chancellor of the university.