Student power in peril as govt inactive on SSUA
By Mukhtar Alam
KARACHI: Despite litigation in
high court and continued concerns being raised in public by various student
communities any implementation on the law for launching student unions in
universities and colleges in Sindh remains stalled --courtesy the reported
dilly-dally approach of the authorities concerned, this has emerged lately.
The Sindh government had enacted the Sindh Students Union Act (SSUA) 2019 to revive student unions, banned in 1984, in order to promote democratic values, student participation, and academic excellence across the province with immediate effect. However, the government’s failure to implement the law has led to growing frustration among students.
Government officials claim that
universities are responsible for implementing the law, while university
administrators say they are waiting for government’s approval. The Sindh Higher
Education Commission has listed 27 public and 31 private universities, which
are required to implement the SSUA.
“The government’s inaction on
implementing the SSUA is a clear indication of their disregard for student
rights and democratic values,” said a civil society activist, adding: “Student
unions play a vital role in promoting critical thinking, leadership skills, and
civic engagement.”
Regulations and procedures
The SSUA envisages a 7 to
11-member student union, elected annually by the students of an educational
institution, while one nominee of the elected student union will be included in
the syndicate, senate or board of the educational institutions. The law
requires universities to formulate regulations and procedures for student
unions within two months of its passage, however, the universities have failed
to comply, citing lack of government approval or guidelines.
In view of the inordinate delay in the implementation of the SSUA, students have from time to time been urging the authorities to move instantly as causing delay in the functioning of student unions in big educational institutions was a glaring violation of the provincial government’s legislation in question. Besides, the groups of students have also been approaching the high court for a relief guaranteed under the 2019 Act.
A spokesperson for Islami
Jamiat-e-Talaba, Karachi, Ibrahim Adil said that students have been demanding
implementation of the SSUA for years, but the government seems unwilling to pay
any heed. “Student unions are essential for promoting students welfare, rights,
and interests,” he remarked.
When approached by this scribe,
official quarters concerned mentioned that universities and other institutions,
which are liable to ensure the follow-up of SUUA, are well in a position to act
on their own, and they should not wait for any further directives on the
subject of student unions from the government side.
Go-ahead awaited
On the other hand,
administrations in government-run universities maintained that they have
started submitting draft of the regulation of the procedure for the conduct of
student union elections to the Sindh government’s Department of Universities
and Boards (U&B), and are waiting for a go-ahead with due review of their
documents.
Legal concerns also find that the Act of the Sindh Assembly lays down a statutory foundation for student unions, doing a recovery of democratic ethos and student ascendency that was lost almost four decades back across the provinces.
The unions were put on hold in
early 1984 obviously on the pretext of becoming unmanageable. The University of
Karachi Act 1972 stated that there shall be a union of students of the
university which shall be represented in the varsity’s senate by its office
bearers, however, universities and institutes established over a period of last
20 years missed the provision for an elected body of students in their respective
charters.
Statutory provision
Some of the Acts (charters)
empower universities to supervise and control the discipline of their students
as well as of constituent colleges and institutes in order to promote the
extracurricular and recreational activities of such students, and to make
arrangements for promoting their health and general welfare. A charter of a
university established in 2013 had a statutory provision for formation of a
disciplinary committee comprising the president of the student union, along
with vice-chancellor or his nominee; professors nominated by the academic
council; one member from the syndicate and the officer in-charge of students’
affairs. Interestingly, the Act of the said university remained silent about
any mechanism or formation of students union.
The SSUA envisaged that the
student unions will function for maintaining social and academic welfare of the
students; ensuring the rights and interests of all students are suitably
represented and protected; promoting and strengthening relations between
students and educational institutions, among various statutory requirements.
The Sindh Students Union Bill, 2019 passed by the Sindh Assembly on February 11, 2022 was assented by the Sindh governor on March 2 the same year, and since then it has come into force at once, a source privy to the subject in U&B Department stated, emphasising it’s not advisable to blame the Department for any delay.
Institutions free to act
The universities and institutes,
both in the public and private sectors, were free to act under the legal tools
they had and they could have adopted the SSUA as well, like they did use to do
in other policy matters, without waiting for new directives, the source added
on condition of anonymity.
Independent academic quarters are
of the view that the bigwigs at public and private universities are least
interested in the functions of the unions in line with the laws, as they fear
these could create problems, while they appear to be comfortable with the sort
of puppet union arrangements at present.
Administrative apathy
In the meantime, hearing a
petition seeking student unions elections at the universities, a division bench
of the Sindh High Court in the first week of November last directed a
provincial law officer to submit a progress report with regard to regulation of
the procedure for the conduct of student unions elections within five weeks.
During the proceedings, the high
court was informed by a counsel for the University of Karachi (KU) that the
university has already commenced the process to formulate and regulate a
procedure for the conduct of student union elections.
On the other hand, Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU) held a meeting of its syndicate on December 14, wherein a Sindh government’s directive regarding formulation of regulations for the conduct of student unions was also taken up, among other items on the agenda. “The syndicate discussed and approved that the university has an existing Students Council that is serving this purpose,” according to a press release.
Later, JSMU Registrar Dr Azam
Khan shared with this scribe that his university was set to hold the elections
of the student union in early 2025 in line with SSUA, which will replace the
already available Students Council nominated to function as an apolitical body
free of violence and harassment, focused on academic and non-academic
activities on the campus. “We are waiting just for a return of our documents
comprising code of conduct and related regulations, submitted to UEBD for a
review and new directives,” he added.
A member of the KU syndicate from
teachers’ constituency, Dr Riaz Ahmed expressed the view that KU has already
got a set of related rules as it had been conducting student union elections
till early 1980s. “The things can be eased down as the Registrar is very much
in a position to announce a schedule of election and the list of voters,” he
added, observing that it was the administrative apathy that SSUA has not been
placed before the statutory bodies of KU for an adoption and ownership for a
practical purpose.
Independent sources observed that
though the U&B Department of the provincial government has got nothing to
do directly, but it can help out the institutions by becoming a bridge between
them towards preparation of a consensus on implementable procedures towards
reinstatement or introduction of the statutory student unions in old and new
public and private sector universities and institutes.
Courtesy: Social Track, weekly, Karachi.
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