The Higher Education Department, Punjab, has sought explanation from principals of eight different colleges and issued show cause notices to over a dozen teachers in connection with the ongoing academic boycott on the call of the Punjab Professors & Lecturers Association (PPLA).

It is learnt that Higher Education secretary Dr Ijaz Munir on Monday sent notices to principals of eight colleges – including Govt Islamia College, Civil Lines, Govt College of Science, Wahdat Road and Govt College for Women, Model Town of Lahore. The other colleges receiving the notices included two colleges of Muzaffargarh and two colleges each of Khanewal and Sialkot. The education department sough explanation from the colleges’ principals about the active participation of their teachers in disrupting academic activities at their respective campuses. Besides, over a dozen college teachers from across the province were also issued show cause notices by the Higher Education secretary.

It is learnt that, in the coming days, more teachers would be served with the notices.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that a meeting of PPLA delegation would be held with Law Minister Rana Sana Ullah at the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday (today). Sources privy to the developments said Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) secretary general Liaqat Baloch had played a key role in organizing the meeting and he would also attend the meeting. It is pertinent to mention that PPLA issued the call for academic boycott at government colleges as part of its protest campaign against the Punjab government for not fulfilling demands of college teachers. The demands include: time-scale, one step up-gradation, regularization of contract lecturers, etc.

Sources in the department said the government had assured PPLA leadership that the department was ready to regularize contract lecturers appointed through Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) till 2010 besides providing Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 as MPhil and PhD allowance, respectively. However, they said, the teachers’ demands of one-step up-gradation and time scale were not feasible as employees of other department would also demand the same.

An official of the department, seeking anonymity, said there were around 12,000 college teachers while over 350,000 schoolteachers. If timescale and up-gradation were awarded to college teachers, others would also demand the same, he added, terming the demand unfeasible.

He said the government had agreed on establishing the Punjab College Teachers Foundation but it was unfortunate that college teachers were protesting and boycotting classes as it was affecting academic activities at the colleges.