The technical engineers held a protest outside Higher Education Commission (HEC) for the endorsement of service structure.
The protest organizer Adil Hameed conversing with media said that all Pakistan technical engineers with diploma and B-Tech degrees organized a protest before HEC to determine their exceptional issues.
He said that all universities and colleges are offering four-year technology degree and thousands of students finish their education every year. He said, however, still their future is uncertain with respect to service structure.
Adil said that National Technology Council (NTC) Act is pending before HEC since last four years due to the discrimination being done with the program.
He alleged that Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) is the main barrier in approval of NTC Act and HEC is favoring the PEC.
He added that chairman HEC has not completed the legislation due to resistance of PEC and sent the act for the endorsement from the Parliament.
He said that the associate engineers will be deprived of jobs as there will be no service structure for them in absence of act.
Another participant Athar Javed said that the associate engineers are not only jobless but getting over age to apply on any government post.
He said that the issue has been frequently raised before Chairman HEC, Federal Minister for Science and Technology and on Pakistan Citizen Portal but no advancement has been observed up until now.
He said that the associate engineers will arrange a protest if their demands are not met as their future has been put on the stake.
A statement issued said the Young Engineering Technologists Association (YETA) required prompt approval of NTC Act and service structure of associate engineers.
It also requested equivalence of B.Sc technology/BE-TECH honors degree with BSc engineering degree and beginning of M.Sc and PhD technology programmes without any delay. Technology degree is earned after three years of associate engineering degree.