Sindh becomes first province to restore student unions after 38 years
Sindh has become the first province to revive student unions in the educational institutions after 38 years after the provincial assembly unanimously passed the Sindh Student Union Bill.
KARACHI: Sindh has become the first province to revive student unions in the educational institutions after 38 years after the provincial assembly unanimously passed the Sindh Student Union Bill.
Student unions had been banned across the country in 1984 during the rulership of military dictator General Ziaul Haq.
The Sindh Student Union Bill was passed unanimously by the treasury and opposition lawmakers to restore the student unions in the educational centres. The bill was presented by Sindh Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Mukesh Kumar Chawla.
Under the law, all educational institutions shall have at least one nominee of the elected union in its syndicate and senate board with a committee for the protection against harassment. Moreover,
The bill prohibited students from carrying or using weapons in educational institutions. The government has given two months to the educational institutions across the province to finalise rules and regulations for the student unions.
It will also disallow students to disturb the functioning of institutions, whereas, any prejudicial activity of students will also be barred. It stated that the revival of unions will promote healthy educational and social activities among the students.
It will give voting and contesting rights to enrolled students for a student union in an election in educational institutions. Under the law, students could form a union with seven to 11 members via annual elections in the institutions.
The crucial legislation had been drafted in 2019 and later it was referred to the standing committee on law and parliamentary affairs. It took two years for the provincial government to bring the bill to the Sindh Assembly due to holding consultations with the stakeholders.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, while speaking on the Sindh Assembly’s floor, said that student unions played a major role in grooming students and they have restored the democratic environment in the educational institutions.
He thanked the opposition parties for backing the bill. He added that Jamaat-e-Islami supported the government a lot in the legislation.
It is pertinent to mention here that the restoration of student unions in the Sindh province was also part of the agreement between the Sindh government and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) after the peaceful sit-in held by the opposition party against the provincial local government (LG) law which also includes a demand to return the administrative control of educational institutions to the municipal institutions.
