ISLAMABAD – The Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) Academic Staff Association (ASA) on Saturday urged the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) to conduct an operation clean-up in the university hostels against individuals not accepting the agreement.
In a statement issued, the ASA said that the university administration has fulfilled all genuine demands of the protesting students including a meaningful reduction in fee and other charges.
However, some elements were determined to hold the university hostage and refused to accept the 29th September agreement.
It said under the circumstances, the ASA has no choice but to publicly appeal to the government and all stakeholders in the higher education sector to come forward and resume the normal functioning of the university.
“The ICT Administration is urged to conduct a clean-up operation in the hostels and the surrounding areas where the violent protestors are believed to be located. All illegal residents of the QAU hostels need to be expelled and the campus secured. Only then can the university hope to resume normal functioning,” said the statement.
The ASA said that the ICT Administration also ought to take action against those that have cases registered against them for causing disturbance and harm on the QAU campus.
It further said that failure to take the matter seriously will certainly lead to faculty refusing to return to work and jeopardise the academic prospects of thousands of innocent students.
It said that QAU administration and faculty are firm of the view that there can be no question of reversal of disciplinary actions or indemnification of past offences on part of current or former students engaged in the recent protests.
The sense of security that is the right of faculty, students, and staff has been shattered by the attacks on senior scholars and security personnel and the damage done to the Server Room of the Computer Networking Cell.
The QAU administration after the protest of students and intervention of the city administration had issued a notification stating that the rebate of 30% on service charges will be given for the Spring Semester 2021, tuition fee will be increased 5% annually (only for new entrants) and the Students Welfare Fund and Library fund will remain at the level of 2020.
The university administration also notified that library security fee will be fixed at Rs5500 per year, whereas, departmental security will be reduced to Rs6000 for this year. It also decided hostel security will be fixed at Rs5000 for this year whereas mess security will be reduced to Rs4000 for this year.
About the transport facility, the university administration decided that the facility will be extended to the students of evening programmes. The approval of the hostel facility for evening students will be sought from the competent forum subject to the availability of seats.
The notification further stated that arrangements for acquiring private hostels will be made on priority while central library will remain open till 9pm. Earlier, Quaid-i-Azam Students Federation representatives in the press conference held had rejected the fee hike of new admissions stating that university has increased 30% fee in previous two years which is against the HEC policy.