Varsity, HEC rift impacting faculty
As a result of the ongoing differences between the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and university administration, teachers at the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science, and Technology (FUUAST), in Karachi, are being deprived of their salaries.
The current ad hoc setup administration of the institution has recently recruited instructors, who were promoted to the post of Assistant Professor, to address the faculty shortage but they have not been paid to date. Similarly, the university also took on board 73 lecturers recently, who are also waiting for remuneration.
When The Express Tribune asked the Chairman HEC, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, about the issue it was learnt that the dispute between the HEC and FUUAST was due to the manner in which the teachers had been hired. “The selection board for the lecturers and assistant professors was controversial and the matter was still in an inquiry stage but the teachers were given appointment letters. Therefore, we cannot give money for the salaries of teachers whose appointments are marred with such controversies,” he informed.
Elaborating on the differences between the two institutions, Dr Ahmed said that the HEC had asked FUUAST’s administration for the proceedings of the relevant selection boards and when the HEC received the proceedings they learnt that minutes for the selection board’s deliberations were missing. “What the administration has classified as meeting minutes is instead a child’s handwritten diary. This is not acceptable for us and our team has recently visited Karachi to inquire into the matter,” the HEC Chairman remarked.
It is pertinent to mention that apart from the minutes, the selection board has also been criticised because the advertisement for recruitment was several years old whereas the Board for the advertisement was held two years ago. Moreover, multiple complaints came to light in the test and interview stage as well.
Acting Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University, Professor Dr Muhammad Ziauddin, when asked about the discrepancies in the recruitment process, replied: “A Member of the Senate of the university regularly insisted on the matter and inquired about the inordinate delays in the hiring process despite the Senate’s approval of the teachers - after which we recruited the instructors.”
As per the VC, the Chairman HEC was part of the Senate which approved the recruitment of the teachers but he did not raise any objections at that point. “The Chairman’s objections, regarding the meeting minutes, came when the university sent a letter to the HEC regarding the recruitments,” informed Dr Ziauddin, adding that the minutes of the selection Board meetings are always handwritten and are the immediate thoughts and remarks of the Board regarding an interviewee. When asked about a timeline for resolving the dispute, the VC said he was not sure. “The HEC team has visited Karachi and perused the university’s records. We have answered all of their questions and are now waiting for their final report on the matter,” said Dr Ziauddin while talking to The Express Tribune.
Financial Troubles
Apart from the salaries and recruitment deadlock with the HEC, FUUAST has been struggling to run day-to-day affairs due to a financial crunch. Hence, the non-payment of salaries may be a shock for the recently recruited teachers, but it has been a reality for the university’s existing faculty for about 3 months now.
The Express Tribune also learnt that the monthly expenses of the three campuses of FUUAST, including the Karachi campus, are about Rs180 million per month - out of which Rs135 million is spent on salaries; Rs30 million on pensions; and Rs2.2 million on the electricity bill. Since the HEC has not increased budgets for public institutions, the university is making losses to the tune of Rs 40 million per month, as per university sources privy to the information.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 29th, 2023.