Activism, it seems, has become the protest of choice in the present-day Pakistan. A largely free media has provided a voice to every group that feels discriminated. After the lawyers, and the media itself, it seems the university professors are now assembling against the government.
Vice Chancellors, representing nearly all public universities in the country, landed in Islamabad yesterday with demands of their share of the budget and the famously announced 50 percent increase in the salaries of government employees.
Education was a high priority item for the government in Islamabad; at least that was the public statement. PM Gilani announced his intention to spend about 4 percent of the budget on education, even though Unesco suggests a minimum of 6 percent.
Funds actually spent in the previous year under this head were around 1.3 percent. According to international norms, about 25~30 percent of education spending is allocated to higher education. On the other hand, in Pakistan, only 7~8 percent of the education allocation is devoted to higher education.
Teachers associations in public universities all over the country are convening emergency sessions today. Representatives in Karachi told BR Research that the conventions are expected to chart out their course of action.
"We don want to cancel classes. Such a measure is most difficult for educators, but we are left with few other options," said Dr Abid Hussain, a professor at the University of Karachi.
Funding to public universities is disbursed in four tranches. A major public university has cited that its first tranche was disbursed with a 15 percent haircut.
"Faculty salaries amount to Rs60 million every month. With the 50 percent increase in salaries this year, we have barely received enough funding to pay faculty, let alone incur the money other costs of running a university," according to Nasiruddin Khan, pro-vice chancellor at University Karachi.
"The government must disburse the Rs8 billion to pay for salary increases" said the noted educator and former minister, Dr Atta-ur-Rehman. He was of the view that government policy must be consistent across all departments.
On the flip side, universities are being urged to look for alternate ways for generating funds. These could include establishing endowment funds from alumni, using land endowments for commercial purposes - but for that the government would have to allow universities to use their resources as they deem fit.
Educational institutions must be run on the non-profit organization model and eventually be made self-sustaining entities. But such measures should not be expected to reap results overnight. Until universities become self-sustaining organizations, their leadership and the government must work hard to resolve the mess they find themselves in.
In the unfortunate event that professors and administrators walk away from the jobs, the student community will have to bear the brunt - a fact that should haunt policymakers and politicians alike as a disillusioned student body makes for perhaps the most effective activist pool.
Modern history is replete with change ignited by a mobilized student body. Examples may be drawn from Iran and Indonesia. If the students take to the streets, its likely that they will march the already weak government to the exit door.
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