The University of Balochistan, the pioneer government university in the province, has been closed for all students and faculty members due to protests by faculty members. The joint action committee of UOB released a statement claiming that their salaries had not been issued for the last two months by the VC, which is affiliated with the government of Balochistan.
The faculty members have boycotted classes until their salaries are paid. Unfortunately, this is not the first time the university has been closed. It was closed before in late March for vocational sabbaticals. The university has remained closed or suspended on several occasions due to various issues, including factional battles between different student ethnic groups in the university.
As a student enrolled in the university for almost four years, the situation has been a continuous struggle. The Covid calamity resulted in the university being closed for a year, and other issues such as faculty protests, exam cancellations, fee issues, and other tumultuous issues have been happening relentlessly since then. In addition, the university has a reputation for being a fighting ground, and the factional battles between different student ethnic groups are a significant problem.
This is unfortunate because the university is known for a lot of dismal sabbaticals and other negative connotations that no students would like to hear.
In my experience, I have not taken classes for two years straight, and I am now in my 8th semester, about to graduate. My last semester is only four months instead of six, which makes it even more challenging to complete my coursework, assignments, presentations, and research.
The university’s culture has become a worse one, where students resort to memorizing topics for exams rather than truly understanding them, which has led to a lack of knowledge and an inability to remember what they were taught in previous semesters. The problem is not with the students or teachers but the system with zero structural planning made by the government.
In conclusion, the closure of the University of Balochistan due to faculty members’ protest is not an isolated incident. The university has been closed for various reasons, including factional battles and issues such as exam cancellations, fee issues, and other tumultuous problems. The university’s culture of memorization rather than understanding is a significant concern, as it leads to a lack of knowledge and an inability to remember topics taught in previous semesters. The government needs to take a more proactive role in addressing these issues to provide students with a quality education.
