Vacant posts: Sindh govt appoints finance directors for 17 universities

The vacancies have been filled at a time when four universities in Sindh have turned to private banks for loans

KARACHI: The wait is over for Sindh’s government universities. At long last, after a protracted and controversial recruitment process, the varsities finally have the much-needed finance directors.

A notification related to the appointments was issued on Monday, October 8, mentioning that the Finance Directors will oversee 17 public universities of the province. The appointees will serve their respective posts for the coming three years.

For the past several years, the posts were either filled on an ad hoc-basis or junior officers were appointed to the post.

The appointments have been made at a time when at least four public universities in Sindh, owing to an acute dearth of funds, have taken loans from private banks to make ends meet.



Budget constraints

After a reduction announced by the federal government, the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) reduced the budget of public varsities by 10%. Meanwhile, the Sindh government has not issued grants to the varsities either. Under the circumstances, sources say that the newly-appointed officers will have to face a myriad of problems pertaining to the ‘financial management.’

At least four varsities in Sindh, due to the non-inclusion of names in the ads, will remain deprived of finance directors. As a result of the interviews conducted by the search committee, suitable names of the candidates for the post were sent to the Chief Minister Syed Sindh Murad Ali Shah.

According to sources, Syed Zainul Abideen Shah has been appointed by the Sindh University Jamshoro, Tariq Kaleem has been hired by the University of Karachi (UoK), Anil Kumar has been appointed by the Agriculture University Tandojam, Nisar Ahmed Noorani by Shah Abdul Latif University (SALU) Khairpur, Nadeem Shakur Javeri by Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS) Jamshoro, Mujahid Ali Sheikh by Dow University of Health and Sciences Karachi, Fahd Sultan Sheikh by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University Larkana, and Hakim Ali Mahesar by Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University Lyari (BBSUL).

Moreover, Abdul Hafiz Siddiqui is hired by Peoples University of Medical and Health Sciences for Women (PUMHS) Shaheed Benazirabad, Waqas Ali has been appointed by Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University of Technology and Skill Development Khairpur (BBSUTSD), Aftab Ahmed Khan by Sindh Madressatul Islam University (SMIU) Karachi, Deen Muhammad by University of Sufism and Modern Sciences (USMS) Bhit Shah, Muneer Ahmed by Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences (SBBUVAS) Sakrand, Amir Bashir by Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto University of Law (SZABUL) Karachi, Sheikh Muhammad Bashir by Dawood University of Engineering and Technology (DUET) Karachi, Adil Rasheed by Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU) Karachi and Shoaib Mohammad Sheikh has been appointed by IBA Sukkur.

Per the recommendations of the search committee, Nadeem Shakoor Javeri, working as the finance director in DOW Medical University, has been appointed by Liaquat University of Medical and Health Science (LUMHS) Jamshoro, while officers and faculty members working on the same post in Sindh University Jamshoro, Dr Hakim Ali, has been appointed by Lyari University Karachi.



Meanwhile, Law University Karachi officer Amir Bashir, Jinnah Sindh medical university Karachi officer Adil Rasheed and Agriculture University Tando Jam officer Anil Kumar have been deputed in their respective varsities.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9^th, 2019.