Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Ameer Monem Zafar Khan strongly condemned the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government’s handling of the education sector and vowed to resist any further interference that could worsen the already deteriorating state of education in Sindh. Speaking at a press conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq, Karachi, Monem Zafar was joined by prominent JI leaders, including Qazi Saddaruddin, Zahid Askari, and Najeeb Ayubi.
Zafar criticized the PPP government for continuously undermining students’ futures, emphasizing that lectures at 17 public sector universities have been boycotted for over a week, while students are left to protest for their rights.
He particularly slammed the PPP’s decision to entrust universities to bureaucrats, arguing that the role of a vice-chancellor goes beyond administrative tasks and includes leading academic councils, boards, and overseeing the educational process—tasks which a bureaucrat is not suited for. Further, he took issue with the government’s proposal to reduce qualifications for vice chancellors, which would allow grade 20 officers, instead of qualified academics, to hold the post.
He also criticized the PPP for appointing contract teachers instead of permanent faculty members, and for the growing number of children out of school in the province, with 7.3 million children lacking access to education. Monem Zafar also highlighted the disparity in intermediate exam results, where Karachi students were disproportionately declared “fail,” despite higher pass rates in other parts of the province. He stressed that the inquiry report by the committee formed last year had been ignored, with no accountability for those responsible for the unjust marks distribution. Zafar pointed to ongoing nepotism in the education department, citing the appointment of relatives of political figures in key positions.
He made it clear that this culture of favoritism would not be tolerated. Furthermore, he criticized the PPP government’s rejection of a proposal for student unions, calling it a step backward in promoting democracy and student rights. Zafar expressed full support for the protesting university teachers and students, announcing that Karachi students would march to the Sindh Assembly to demand their rights. He assured that the JI’s Karachi Rights Movement would persist until these issues are addressed.
