GCU faculty begs Taseer to turn down registrar’s extension

Faculty members say in a letter that they are not disclosing their identity for fear of severe victimisation.

LAHORE: Government College University’s (GCU) faculty members have asked the GCU chancellor, Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer, not to extend GCU registrar Shaibzada Faisal Khurshid’s tenure.

In an anonymous letter, a copy of which was shown to The Express Tribune, the faculty members said that we are not disclosing their identity for fear of severe victimisation. According to the letter, GCU’s vice chancellor Dr Khalid Aftab has sent a summary to the Higher Education Commission’s secretary for an extension of Khurshid’s tenure, which is slated to end October 12, two weeks ago.

The faculty members, while asking for justice, said, “Yours and our alma mater, GCU Lahore, will be saved and relieved from an incompetent leech appointed on an important post who has not only damaged the reputation of our alma mater but the great institution itself.”

The letter gives a few reasons for the dissatisfaction of the faculty members with Khurshid.

The first point the letter raises is that GCU VC Aftab, whose own tenure ends in November, has taken it upon himself to extend Khurshid’s tenure prior to retiring.

The second point of the letter is that Khurshid has a third division in MA English and when he was appointed as a lecturer, GCU had college status and a third division was not a bar to appointment. That, the letter stated, changed when GCU obtained university status and its rules barred appointment of lecturers with any third division in their entire academic career.

The faculty members say that all faculty with third division were removed except for Khurshid, who they claim has been the VC’s ‘blue eyed boy’ from the first day.

The letter complains about the lack of Khurshid’s spoken English skills. According to the letter, former students of Khurshid have complained that he cannot speak a sentence in English and teaches ‘English in Punjabi’. The faculty members question how Khurshid became the GCU registrar.

The fourth point says that Khurshid is the only registrar who has had terrorist cases registered against GCU students. The cases, the letter states, were withdrawn with the intervention of the GCU chancellor and the Lahore High Court.

The fifth point says that Khurshid has allegedly sexually harassed a female lecturer and a special committee to probe these allegations was formed two years ago.

The letter says that the sexual harassment case against Khurshid is still in process and the committee has yet to release its findings.

The letter goes on to state that all the information can be verified from the record and if the chancellor held an inquiry commission, 50 faculty members are prepared to appear in front of it.

The letter ends with the faculty members asking the chancellor to save the GCU from further deterioration and relieve employees of the tense and nerve wrecking environment Khurshid has created to hide his incompetence.

Khurshid told The Express Tribune that he was the main obstacle in the path of faculty members intent to deteriorate the environment of the GCU. He said that the summary sent was for his confirmation and not an extension.

He said that he had 20 years teaching experience and that in 2007 he was appointed registrar by GCU’s search committee comprising University of Engineering and Technology’s VC General (rtd) Muhammad Akram, Punjab University’s ex VC Dr Khalid Hameed and GCU’s current VC Dr Khalid Aftab. He said he was selected as registrar on a three-year probationary period.

However, a few senior faculty members, on condition of anonymity, told The Express Tribune that according to GCU’s Ordinance 2002, the post of registrar was a regular post. They said that according to the rules only a person with a PhD or a person with an MA or an MBA and 20 years teaching experience is eligible for the post of registrar.

They added that the summary was an for extension of Khurshid’s tenure. Finally, the faculty members said that if the summery of extension is accepted then they would start an open protest.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2010.