On advertising for the post in August 2010, the ministry received 20 applications and interviewed the five best candidates.
It later sent them ‘not-fit-for-the-position’ letters, and re-advertised the post on January 4 stating that all who had already applied need not apply again.
The sources said that the most suitable candidates had already applied for the post and they were now being sidelined so a ‘favourite’ recommended by the son of a top politician could be accommodated. NCA faculty members said they viewed the principal’s appointment as a test of whether the ministry could remain transparent and meritocratic in the face of nepotistic pressure.
Meanwhile, another lobby is seeking to push back the appointment so that Fauzia Qureshi, who has been serving as acting principal since July 27, can retire as principal and hence continue to enjoy the prestige associated with the post. She is due to retire in June 2011.
In its first advertisement for the post, the Ministry of Education sought candidates with a PhD or equivalent with 18 years of teaching or administrative experience from a professionally-recognised institution, an MPhil with 20 years experience, or an MA with 22 years experience. The candidate was supposed to be 42-50 years old.
An interview committee headed by Federal Minister for Education Sardar Aseff Ahmed Ali was set up. It included the federal education secretary, chairman of the executive committee and member of the NCA board of governors.
The committee interviewed Wajiha Raza, Dr Murtaza Jaffri (associate professor at NCA), Zafar Iqbal (assistant professor), Maqsood Pasha (associate professor) and Quddus Mirza (associate professor).
Meanwhile, the sources said, the influential person heard of the interviews and stepped in, pressing the ministry to appoint a person who had not applied for the slot. ‘
The ministry was scheduled to announce the appointment after the interviews but at the eleventh hour, it decided to advertise the slot again seeking more applications, the sources said.
Muhammad Awais, staff officer to the education minister, said that the interviewed candidates failed to meet the job criteria and the ministry did not want to “waste more time on them” by looking at their applications again.
But the interviewed candidates said that the most experienced and qualified people had already applied for the slot.
They said there were no other candidates in the college faculty who fulfilled the criteria outlined for the slot. They said denying them the right to apply again was a violation of their rights.
“All the shortlisted candidates were highly qualified and had excellent experience in the relevant field. The non-selection raised many eyebrows about the merit and transparency in the process,” said one snubbed candidate.
One of the candidates alleged that the interview had been casual and conducted like it was a formality. “There was no subject specialist in the committee to go in depth and really analyse the candidates’ skills,” he said.
Faculty members also complained that the acting principal was pushing to remain in the post till her retirement due in June.
They said she had even sent some students to Multan to work on the decor of a new home built by a politician, just so she could gain the sympathies of people in power.
Fauzia Qureshi denied seeking to retire as principal or having knowledge of any lobby working to this end. “I am not interested in performing this burdensome duty for longer than I have to. I hope they find a suitable candidate,” she said.
The National College of Arts Ordinance 1985 makes it mandatory for the Ministry of Education to appoint a regular principal within six months of the retirement of the previous principal.
Sardar Aseff Ali and Education Secretary Athar Tahir did not respond to repeated requests for comments.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 14th, 2011.
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