- The whole system must be revamped
By: Abdul Rahman Malik
College Education has been the most neglected area in Pakistan, especially in Sindh, where the colleges are not provided with development funds, modern methods of teaching, language and computer labs or interactive classrooms.
The promotions system is obsolete and the old nomenclature of posts dating back to 1980s, and lack of scholarships for teachers, lead to principals being appointed ignoring administrative skills or competence. As a result, the principals mess up the college funds and run after development funds but neglect the key point of imparting quality education. The situation becomes grimmer when the colleges are established onthe political basis and notified without following the procedure of SNE, Building, Population and feeding Schools that may guarantee the smooth running of the college.
The absence of any clear rules or recruitment policy for the appointment of principals, has played havoc with college education, since principals are unaware of audit and accounting, DDO powers and responsibilities, drafting and correspondence, communication, office administration, linkages, monitoring and evaluation of teachers and students outputs, curriculum development, course plan, planning and development of development schemes such as repair of college buildings and procurement procedure.
It is the need of the hour to address the woes of college teachers and colleges. These should be resolved on war-footing to transform colleges into great seats of learning, since colleges fill the gaps of higher education where there are no universities
Mostly professors in BPS-19 and BPS-20 are posted on administrative or management posts such as Regional Director, DG and Chairman BISE. There is no College Teachers Training Institute that may impart training to newly appointed lecturers and other staff that it may increase their productivity. Even the College Education Department is denied and usurped by Powerful PAS, PSS, PCS, PMS and OMG officers unaware of college issues.
Teachers disillusioned over delayed promotions, often take 18 years to reach the next grade but some get promotion after retirement. Earlier, the college teachers were provided moveover to next grade after on a time scale, but this was withdrawn.
Later, Time Scale was granted to schoolteachers, but the college teachers were denied these monetary benefits which provided respite against delayed Departmental Promotion Committees for promotions from BS-17 to BS-20 respectively.
It is alarming that some teachers remain in the same grade during the whole service period and some get only one promotion to next grade, given the obsolete promotions system and the so-called Four-Tier system. On the other hand, Punjab and KPK have introduced five-tier, which means promotion to BS-21. But in Sindh, the old four-tier system is in practice with a ratio of 60:40 for males and females. The Delayed DPCs after two to five years have wreaked havoc with service structure and pensionary benefits.
Teachers Unions of all four provinces such as SPLA (Sindh), KPLA (KPK), BPLA (Balochistan) and PPLA (Punjab) have protested for their rights and have been successful in getting their demands approved except the SPLA, owing to its internal differences, insincerity, selfishness or individualism and disunity because of lack of consensus or consultation with the college fraternity.
The old players of SPLA went on a solo flight and kept the members of SPLA in limbo, which resulted in their downfall and they sabotaged the real voice of college teachers and dragged them into the quagmire of disappointment, deprivation and injustice. The disparities still continue, haunting the college fraternity.
Some young leaderswith a progressive approach came up to win support for the time scale and staged a showdown which drew the attention of the authorities to the long due issue of promotions and supplementing it with time scale until regular time-based promotions ,But the old leaders could not digest the successful protest and the landmark court decision directing the CM Sindh and Secretary College Education to resolve the issues of Promotions and Time scale after determining financial requirements and policy matters on priority basis.
Some teachers demand grades on the lines of university teachers since BCom, BSc, BA (now Replaced with AdSc and AdA) and MA-level students have been imparted education at degree and postgraduate level at the degree colleges and postgraduate studies centres. The upgradation of posts such as Lecturers from BS-17 to 18 and above in the lines of universities as the college teachers are regulated through Higher Education.
The old stalwarts of colleges were lured by lucrative administrative positions in the regional directorates, DG office, boards and principalships.
They apparently do not know that civil servants get five Promotions in their career as per their promotion policies, from BS-17 to BS-22.
Connversely, college teachers are deprived of all such perks and amenities as provided to civil servants. Such injustice warrants that Government should resolve the issues on a priority basis.
It is unfortunate that college teachers have no representation in the College Education Department secretariat, while there are several doctors serving in the Health Secretariat, and several engineers serving in the Public Health Engineering Secretariat on Section Officer, Deputy Secretary, Additional Secretary and Secretary-level administrative positions. Regrettably, the college professors, even in Grade 19 or 20, are denied such representation just because they do not have a management or executive cadre like PSS, PMS, POS, PCS or OMG, AAG etc. The college teachers, though, are appointed through Competitive Examination of SPSC, FPSC or the Provincial Public Service Commissions.
It is also pertinent to note that the civil servants are unaware of the technical terms and issues of colleges and only college teachers can address the needs and resolve the issues of college teachers properly and on a priority basis.
The college teachers should also be allocated 5 to 10 percent of the administrative posts in Secretariat as our college teachers are the most efficient and talented and can better deliver in policymaking and updating curriculum, service rules drafting and making informed decisions on administrative grounds.
It is shocking to say the teacher who is the factory to produce all the officers, is considered “not fit” for administrative positions though he or she is recruited through the same SPSC/FPSC.
It would be good if the government introduces an Executive service to join the Civil service or secretarial service like SOPE (Section Officers Promotions Exam) conducted by FPSC from the Federal Employees in Grades 7 to 16, having eight years’ experience.
After passing SOPE, they would awarded the CSS cadre OMG ( Office Management Group).They have been doing a tremendous job as these officers are well aware of day-to-day Office Matters and meet deadlines quite easily and require fewer directions.
The Government should also revise the SNE of the Colleges by creating three additional posts, of a vice-principal in BS-18, a Sub Engineer in BS 11/16 and an Assistant Director (Finance and Planning) in BS-17 to run the administrative, development and accounting matters smoothly. The Federal and Punjab colleges have vice principals who look after or officiate in the absence of principals. There should be either direct appointments through a search Committee or Public Service Commission for the position of vice principals and principals so that most experienced persons may be appointed on the administrative posts.
Furthermore, local and international scholarships and study leaves are not granted to college teachers to pursue MPhil and PhD or postdoctoral studies as availed by University teachers.
The new college teachers appointed through the SPSC should undergo the induction or orientation training to be organized at the directorate level, or a training wing or proposed institute, the College Teachers Training Institute or College Management Institute (CMI), may be established to impart training on teaching methodologies and lecture process. There must be courses on policy matters and orientation training for principals and vice principals on administration, management, supervision, auditing, strategic planning and innovation to improve college education and bringing it at par with international standards. Projectors should be used and a laptop scheme should be initiated for teachers so that teachers can impart education on modern lines and make the learning fun as students get bored from the lecture of 40 to 45 minutes. The presentations on multimedia projectors will make learning interactive and collaborative.
Regrettably, though, there are multimedia projectors installed at some colleges but they have been out of order for years and The principals have not bothered to make them functional because of unavailability of computer lecturers and technicians, There should also be computer lab assistants, besides just lab assistants.
Principals are team leaders rather than just bosses to scold, report, tamper with ACRs or take action against teachers on personal grudges and be lenient with blue-eyed teachers. Bosses never take responsibility, just shift it. However, leaders always believe in teamwork and take the responsibility for either good or bad and defend their teammates.
Regrettably, some principals imposed upon colleges lack the competence to run the day-to-day affairs. Owing to their incompetence, inefficiency and lack of training, academic and administrative issues surface which prompt the supervisory authorities to intervene. These trivial issues might have been resolved at the college level, had there been qualified and competent principals with problem-solving skills and management skills. It is also necessary that executive management training should be made compulsory for principals.
It is the need of the hour to address the woes of college teachers and colleges. These should be resolved on war-footing to transform colleges into great seats of learning, since colleges fill the gaps of higher education where there are no universities. The colleges serve as higher education institutions offering degrees at undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels.
