Confusion, ad-hocism mars HEC working

Top slots at the higher education regulatory body vacant.

ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission might paint a rosy picture, however, in a stark contrast it struggles to hold itself together.

Posts for the heads of different departments at its headquarters and that of
the executive director have been vacant for too long with no concrete steps taken by the top regulatory body of the higher education to resolve the issue.

Similarly, other tasks including university ranking, establishment of an independent testing body, monitoring universities and institutions for quality and several other affairs have been blown out of proportion.

Executive director

This post has been vacant since April 15 last year, when the then executive director Dr Mukhtar Ahmed was appointed its chairperson. Since then appointment of a permanent ED has become an uphill task. It is now perceived within the HEC that the chairperson seems to be reluctant to share powers with a person second to him while he has been maintaining that “he could not find the right guy for the post.”

Last month three names were shortlisted for the post and the final decision will now be made by the governing body, the date for which has yet to be fixed.

DGs, directors

The board itself is incomplete. The post of member, operations and planning, which has been vacant for almost three years, was advertised last week. The post of member, academics, previously headed by Dr Mansoor Kundi, has also been without a head.

Whereas, DG planning and development Mazhar Saeed is holding additional charge of monitoring and evaluation and research and development division. Another important post of DG finance is also held for over two months by another DG from administration and coordination division. The quality assurance section too has to get an advisor.

The vacant posts have created confusion impeding smooth functioning of services, efficiency hence overburdening staffers.

Testing body

Governing body of the HEC in its last meeting rejected the idea of launching its own testing body, to distance itself from any controversy but since then lukewarm response is being seen about the structure, bylaws and functioning of an independent body.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st,  2015.