The Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) is facing administrative and financial problems because the terms of its board of directors and chairperson have expired and interviews to hire a new permanent managing director in March delayed, The Express Tribune has learnt.
The PEF was established in 1991 as an autonomous statutory body to promote non-profit schools in the private sector. The 15-member board of directors is the governing body of the PEF and includes seven ex-officio directors and eight nominated directors with full financial and administrative powers. The board elects the chairperson, and they serve a term of three years.
The term of the board and the chairman, Raja Muhammad Anwar, ended on January 25. Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif appointed Anwar chairman of the Chief Minister’s Task Force on Elementary Education, but he continues to also act as chairman of the PEF, keeping his official status, perks and privileges.
In February, the Punjab government appointed Ambreen Raza, a District Management Group officer in BS-19, as managing director of the PEF on deputation to replace a managing director who had been selected on merit after an interview process.
The PEF advertised for applications to the post of managing director on February 16, offering a salary of over Rs150,000 per month. Over a dozen candidates applied and were invited for interviews on March 19.
But the interviews were postponed at the last minute. An official said on condition of anonymity that the delay was aimed at giving Raza a chance to position herself as the strongest candidate for the job.
The official said that the end of the board and chairman’s terms had resulted in multiple administrative and financial issues for the foundation. He said there was an urgent need for a permanent managing director with an academic background and strong experience.
Tanveer Ahmed Zafar, deputy managing director of the PEF, said the reconstitution of the board was in process. He said the interviews for managing director were postponed because a new board was not in place. The new board would elect the chairperson, he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 6th, 2011.
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