PPP leaving behind a dysfunctional boards dept

With the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) led Sindh government nearing the end of its five-year constitutional term, it leaves behind a legacy of the provincial examination boards plagued with misadministration and ad hocism.

During the PPP’s previous tenure, 2013-2018, the controlling authority of examination boards in Sindh lay with the Governor of the province and was controlled by the Governor’s Secretariat. Subsequently, this control was transferred from the Governor to the Chief Minister through an amendment bill. In the PPP’s present tenure, under Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, the control was handed over to a tailor-made department, which is now referred to as the Ministry of Universities and Boards and is currently headed by PPP’s Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Ismail Rahoo.

However, the independence of the department from the Governor and the Chief Minister has done it little favour as out of the 8 education boards of Sindh, only 3 have permanent Chairmen, whereas the rest are being run in an ad hoc manner by individuals who have an additional charge. Moreover, none of the 8 education boards has a permanent Controller of Examination or Secretary.

To illustrate further: Dr Masroor Sheikh, the Chairman of Sindh Board of Technical Education, has retired from the post but has been heading the Board on a temporary basis for the past 2 years; Dr Farooque Hassan, Chairman of the Nawabshah Education Board also happens to be the Vice Chancellor of the Veterinary University Sakrand; Rafique Ahmed, who retired recently as Chairman, is now serving as the acting Chairman of the Sukkur Board and also happens to be the acting Chairman of the Hyderabad Board; and Professor Naseem Memon, Chairman of the Larkana Education Board, is also in charge of the Mirpurkhas Education Board.

In this regard an official associated with the Sindh government told the Express Tribune under the condition of anonymity that the ad hocism meant that the Board of Governors (BOG) meeting of more than 1 of the 8 examination boards were being chaired by the same person. “At least 4 such meetings of the Education Board’s BOG have been chaired by only two people, who make arbitrary decisions and protect each other’s interests,” the official alleged.

In light of the damning allegations, the Express Tribune reached out to the Secretary of the Universities and Boards Department, Mureed Rahimoon, and inquired about the incumbent government’s careless attitude in running the department. “It is not the government’s fault that officials associated with the different Boards are incompetent. Most of them only care about making money and do not allow anyone from the outside to be appointed to the Board,” replied Rahimoon. When pointed out that the government could do away with problematic Board officials if it wished to do so, Rahimoon said that the courts had only recently allowed the department to recruit Chairmen from the general public. “Hence, we have moved a summary and will publish advertisements inviting applications for the post of Chairman of various Boards soon,” he informed. When questioned about some Chairmen holding two government posts, Rahimoon reiterated that the department was presently looking for qualified officials to take up the posts; however, he did not give a timeline on how long the department planned on searching for suitable officials.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 11^th, 2023.