Nationwide Teachers Associations Unite To Advocate For Rights And Welfare

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th May, 2023 ) :The college teachers associations from across the country, elected the representative body of All Pakistan Professors and Lecturers Association (APPLA) in meeting held at Nathiagali on Thursday.

Professor Munawar Abbas, from Sindh, while Professor Jamshed Khan assumed the role of General Secretary.

The dynamic team further comprises Professor Dr. Raheema Rehman, who was elected as the Senior Vice President and Professors Dr. Tariq Kaleem, Tariq Baloch, Rehmat Ali, and Tariq Saleem Shah, who were chosen as Vice Presidents, representing the respective regions of Islamabad Capital territory, Punjab, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

To strengthen the executive committee, additional positions were filled with esteemed office bearers from various provincial associations.

Professor Faiz Muhammad from KP was elected as the Additional General Secretary, while Professors Abdur Razzaq Kakar and Junaid Khan assumed the responsibilities of Joint Secretaries, representing Balochistan and Punjab, respectively.

Professor Muhammad Siddique was appointed as the Press Secretary and Professor Ihtesham Gul became the Finance Secretary, representing Gilgit-Baltistan.

Later on, the newly elected body of APPLA met at Islamabad Model Postgraduate College H-8. During the meeting, the elected office bearers demonstrated their commitment to addressing the challenges faced by college professors in different regions of Pakistan, emphasizing their shared interests and a collective desire to uplift the dignity and privileges of teachers.

The newly elected leadership of APPLA aimed to spearhead efforts in providing quality higher education to millions of underprivileged students nationwide.

The APPLA leadership engaged in comprehensive discussions on the pressing issues faced by college professors in KP, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, AJK, and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Recognizing their common concerns, the leaders unanimously agreed to collaborate closely and advocate for the rights and betterment of college teachers.

To this end, they presented a charter of demands to the government through the media, seeking immediate action on several key issues.

Among the demands outlined were also included the establishment of a uniform service structure for college teachers across all federating units on the line of five-tier formula implemented in KP.

Additionally, the leaders called for a 100 percent increase in salaries for college teachers, the unfreezing of house rent, medical allowance, and conveyance allowance, and the provision of group insurance upon retirement.

Addressing the existing disparity in qualification allowances, the APPLA stressed the immediate need for reducing discrepancies in allowances awarded for M.Phil, MS, and Ph.D. qualifications.

They also appealed for the reinstatement of the previous 75 percent tax exemption for teachers, a measure that had previously been implemented.

In their quest to enhance the quality of higher education, the association demanded the establishment of a dedicated Directorate of Higher Education for Federal Colleges.

Moreover, they urged the government to implement the revised four-tier formula in Gilgit-Baltistan before the announcement of upcoming budget, ensuring equitable opportunities for teachers in the region.

President Munawar Abbas and General Secretary Jamshed Khan, while addressing the teachers, emphasized their commitment to upholding the rights and dignity of all teachers and vowed to vehemently oppose any form of victimization within the teaching community.