LAHORE – Parents of some Aitchison College students flocked to the streets on Tuesday to show their support for the institute’s principal, who quit the day before.
Michael A Thompson resigned on Monday, citing nepotism and political meddling.
Several parents gathered outside the Governor House, raising chants demanding the reinstatement of the principal of Lahore’s premier college.
They also requested an impartial investigation and the reversal of what they claimed were illegal steps taken by Governor Balighur Rehman.
A police contingent hurried to the Governor’s Mansion to prevent a violent reprisal.
What occurred on Monday?
The sudden resignation of Aitchison College’s principal caught everyone off guard. His drastic move appeared to be prompted by Governor Balighur Rehman’s decision to eliminate education fees for PML-N leader Ahad Cheema’s sons.
According to media reports, Cheema’s widow had asked the Punjab governor to forgive her sons’ expenses.
Also Read: Aitchison College Principal Michael Thompson resigns, citing political meddling.
The governor subsequently issued an order waiving their costs for three years.
“Politics and nepotism have no place in schools,” Thompson stated in a letter to the college faculty.
“Throughout my time as Principal, I have done my very best to protect the school’s reputation while extending compassion to those in need,” he wrote in the letter. He went on to say that “there is a crucial difference between this pursuit and blatant policy manufacturing to accommodate certain individuals because such people simply insist on preferential treatment” .
Thompson stated that “this was not how I intended to leave Aitchison.” He stated that he would step down as principal on April 1 and would not be involved in management or admissions.
Thompson had also submitted his retirement in September 2018, purportedly under political pressure owing to disciplinary action taken against some students, but he later reversed the decision.
