Different country, same story: Exporting corruption - Living up to their name in Saudi Arabia

Pakistani school faculty accused of mismanagement, abuse of power.

ISLAMABAD:

Overseas Pakistanis are worried about the future of their children in Pakistan International School Sulaimaniya (PISES), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia due to a decline in educational standards and mismanagement of the school. The parents of the 2,000-strong student body cited unnecessary interference in school affairs by Pakistani embassy officials as the main reason behind the decline.

In a letter written to the Foreign Office in Islamabad, they complained about the alleged interference of embassy officials in the matters of the school in Saudi Arabia that has led to mismanagement and corrupt practices.

The school is run on fees paid by parents and has no other source of income. “We, the parents … are extremely perturbed and confused about the future of our children and would like to draw your kind attention to the issue…. humble submissions for your sympathetic consideration on humanitarian grounds to save the future of about two thousand students,” the letter read.

They said that under Article 12 of the Directorate of Foreign Education Rules and Regulations, a proper School Management Committee (SMC) comprising parents may be formed to look after the affairs of the school. The SMC led by PISES Vice-Principal Tanveer Ahmad exerted all efforts to make the school principal’s tenure a failure and has been running the finances and other affairs of the school into the ground, according to the parents.

They also demanded for removal of interim SMC whose tenure expired in October 2011, but is still interfering in school affairs.

A member of the interim SMC was also accused of misappropriating SR100,000 (Rs2.41 million) in school funds by renovating his rented villa at school expense. Since the principal wanted to conduct an inquiry into this financial irregularity, the accused member joined with Tanveer Ahmad to sign a non-renewal of contract letter. They also managed to get the signatures of the other two teachers on the SMC on the letter.

A number of parents have lodged complaints about it before the concerned embassy officials but to no avail. Instead, the student’s tuition fees were also unilaterally hiked by 12 per cent.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Abdul Basit said, “We have a new Ambassador in Riyadh. If the community there has any specific issue, the best way would be to approach the embassy.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2012.