Karachi University exam boycott leaves nearly 50,000 students facing uncertainty

KARACHI: A prolonged boycott of semester examinations by Karachi University teachers has left nearly 50,000 students in uncertainty as the protest entered its fourth week, disrupting academic schedules and deepening concern among students and parents.

The teachers have stayed away from semester examinations since May 5 over what they describe as unpaid dues, including payments for evening classes, copy checking, exam supervision, paper setting, exam vigilance, house ceiling and leave encashment. They have also demanded an inquiry into the university’s financial crisis and have said they will not end the boycott until their demands are met.

The continuing standoff has raised fears among students about further disruption to the academic calendar, possible shortening of the next semester and the loss of the semester break. Students have also criticised the lack of intervention by the provincial government, particularly the chief minister, who is the controlling authority of public sector universities in Sindh.

Students voice frustration

Several students described mounting frustration over the uncertainty and repeated disruption of academic activity.

One student said he no longer wanted to continue studying at the university and complained that despite paying fees on time, students were not receiving facilities in return.

A first-year student from the Department of International Relations said the cancellation of exams after extensive preparation had unsettled her first semester and upended her plans. She said rumours that examinations could be held during the semester break had added to her anxiety and uncertainty about how the university would proceed.

A student from the Department of English said the lack of clear communication from both the university and teachers had left students unsure about when exams would be held and worried about the effect on the next semester.

A final-year Visual Studies student said he backed the teachers’ demands, but said disputes between the administration and employees had become a recurring problem at the university, with students bearing the impact. He also questioned how the university would recover the lost time, saying students had not been informed whether the next semester would be shortened or whether multiple papers would be scheduled on the same day.

The same student said fees for examinations and semesters had risen steadily in recent years without a corresponding improvement in education quality or university services.

"The fee structure is now approaching that of private universities but the facilities are nowhere near the same standard,"

He added that he sometimes wondered whether enrolling in a private university would have been a better option.

Students also questioned why provincial authorities and relevant government departments had not stepped in to address the problems at the country’s largest university. Similar criticism appeared on social media, where students asked why the chief minister and the Universities and Boards Department were not intervening.

Teachers’ body blames administration

Karachi University Teachers Society president Syed Ghufran Alam told Dawn that while students were indeed suffering, he held the university administration responsible for the situation.

"Students are suffering, but not because of teachers. The responsibility lies with the bad management,"

He said the administration was responsible both for delivering educational services to students paying substantial fees and for ensuring timely salaries and payments to employees, but had failed on both counts.

According to Alam, teachers had repeatedly raised their concerns with the administration and had been left with no option but to continue protesting. He said the management had, for the past six to seven years, failed to resolve matters through dialogue and instead adopted what he described as a rigid approach.

On the issue of examinations, Alam said students would be given enough time to prepare once the dispute was resolved. He said teachers would facilitate students and consult student organisations before exams resumed, adding that any decision to restart examinations would be announced a few days in advance. He also said that the final decision on examinations and the academic calendar rested with the university administration.

Karachi University Vice Chancellor Dr Khalid Iraqi was not available for comment.