Appointing teachers as admin: K-P governor, CM urged to stop varsities from violating the law

FKPPSUAOA says violation of laws causing governance, academic issues in universities

PESHAWAR: An association of administrative officers of public sector universities in the province has requested the governor — who is also the chancellor of all public varsities in the province — and the interim chief minister to take notice of the rules and laws being violated by varsities.

In a communiqué, the Federation of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Public Sector Universities Administrative Officers Association (FKPPSUAOA) has urged Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra and the Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (retired) Dost Muhammad to take stern action against those who were violating the law.

The federation stated that most of the varsities were found guilty of violating section 17-A of the K-P Universities Act by posting teachers on administrative positions. Section 17-A of the law stipulates that no teacher or employees, other than administrative officers, can be posted on the administrative positions.

However, to favour certain factions and for alleged illegal gratification, teachers and other non-administrative officers have been posted on administrative positions in violation of the act. This move, they argued, have affected the academic performance of many departments while sections of the varsity have been compromised.

The association’s president, Muhammad Ilyas, said that if teachers wanted to be appointed to the administrative positions, they should forego their teaching assignments and seek appointment on these positions after applying on openly advertised positions, as prescribed in the law.

He pointed out that varsities were running into serious academic and governance issues owing to the violation of this rule and urged the government to stop a few individuals from make a joke of the law.

Ilyas argued that some varsities had incorrectly interpreted the act and were now trying to justify their actions by ignoring explicit provisions of the act. This, he claimed, reveals the innate designs of officials.

The FKPPSUAOA president said that the administrative officers of a varsity are given representation in key decision-making bodies of universities such as the syndicate and senate.

However, most of the universities are reluctant to hold elections, which were against the directives issued by the K-P governor who had asked universities to fill constituencies of the varsity authorities on priority.

He further added that the promotions of administrative officers have been pending for a while in most universities. He urged that this process is completed immediately.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 16^th, 2018.