K-P varsities decry govt ban on recruitment

Vice chancellors hold emergency moot, term HED notification unilateral

PESHAWAR: Public sector varsities in the province on Thursday decried a ban on all sorts of recruitments in educational institutions imposed by the provincial government.

In this regard, an emergency meeting of vice-chancellors from all public sector universities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) was convened at the University of Peshawar (UoP).

During the meeting, the recent notification of the ban on recruitments, issued by the provincial Higher Education Department (HED) was reviewed. Vice-chancellors called upon the government to withdraw the notification, adding that blocking all kinds of recruitments at public sector universities will seriously affect the looming academic session.

The meeting decided to form the five-member committee comprising heads of IMSciences, University of Engineering and Technology (UET), UoP, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women’s University (SBBWU) and the Khyber Medical University (KMU) to take up the matter with the K-P governor and the chief minister apart from writing to senior government officials of the province to inform them about the challenges faced by universities in the province.

The meeting also expressed deep concern over the unilateral actions which were taken without taking the varsities on board or seeking legal opinion on the matter while bypassing the heads of universities. The vice-chancellors urged HED officials to shun practices which harm the autonomy, dignity and reputation of universities.

“Universities want collective and joint approach from the HED and not unilateral decisions like that,” one vice-chancellor remarked while commenting on the meeting.

“Our current international commitments, projects, HEC requirement for faculty raising will go down the drain if the ban continues,” said the VC.

“We are with the government on stopping all measures for creating posts, but what do we do with the desires of permanent, contract and visiting faculty members to get promotion and recognition from,” the moot stated in a joint statement. 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 30^th, 2019.