Merit or favouritism: Secretary being pressed to re-hire poor workers
Department says contracts were not renewed over poor performance.
LAHORE:
Provincial Minister Ahmed Ali Aulakh is seeking rehiring of three Social Welfare and Baitul Mal Department gender specialists, whose contracts were not renewed owing to their poor performance and lack to meet their goals, The Express Tribune has learnt.
Ali Raza, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Tahir were recruited as gender specialists along with six more specialists in March 2008 for the Punjab Gender Reform Action Plan. Their major responsibilities included gender sensitising in government departments and at district level administration. However, after the end of their three-year contract, they were not given new contracts over failure to meet their goals and for demonstrating poor performance.
The Chief Minister Secretariat on Wednesday sought a summary from the Social Welfare and Baitul Mal Department secretary over recommendation to renew the contracts of the three gender specialists.
A CM’s Secretariat official confirmed that the summary had been sought on the recommendation of Aulakh. He said the secretary had been told to recommend in writing the grant of extension to the three specialists.
Secretary Sardar Akram Javed told The Tribune that the summary had not been sent to the CM Secretariat yet. He said he had not been given a specific deadline in this regard. He said the contracts of the three gender specialists had been withdrawn as they did not meet their goals and demonstrated poor performance.
A Social Welfare and Baitul Mal Department official said the men were ineligible to be hired in the first place. According to the records in the official documents of the department, he said, Raza had a third division in his academic career, and Asif and Tahir had one D grade each. This, he said, was revealed during the scrutiny of their records at the time of their contract extension.
He said that the three men had received highest marks in the interview. He also said that the three men belonged to Aulakh’s hometown Layyah.
Talking to The Tribune, Aulakh said the three had performed well. He said the summary had been sought following a request by these men. He said he had no personal stake in the matter.
“I know they belong to Layyah, but I have requested the CM Secretariat to take notice of the matter… all these men are experienced specialists, not some new comers,” Aulakh added.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 7th, 2012.
Provincial Minister Ahmed Ali Aulakh is seeking rehiring of three Social Welfare and Baitul Mal Department gender specialists, whose contracts were not renewed owing to their poor performance and lack to meet their goals, The Express Tribune has learnt.
Ali Raza, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Tahir were recruited as gender specialists along with six more specialists in March 2008 for the Punjab Gender Reform Action Plan. Their major responsibilities included gender sensitising in government departments and at district level administration. However, after the end of their three-year contract, they were not given new contracts over failure to meet their goals and for demonstrating poor performance.
The Chief Minister Secretariat on Wednesday sought a summary from the Social Welfare and Baitul Mal Department secretary over recommendation to renew the contracts of the three gender specialists.
A CM’s Secretariat official confirmed that the summary had been sought on the recommendation of Aulakh. He said the secretary had been told to recommend in writing the grant of extension to the three specialists.
Secretary Sardar Akram Javed told The Tribune that the summary had not been sent to the CM Secretariat yet. He said he had not been given a specific deadline in this regard. He said the contracts of the three gender specialists had been withdrawn as they did not meet their goals and demonstrated poor performance.
A Social Welfare and Baitul Mal Department official said the men were ineligible to be hired in the first place. According to the records in the official documents of the department, he said, Raza had a third division in his academic career, and Asif and Tahir had one D grade each. This, he said, was revealed during the scrutiny of their records at the time of their contract extension.
He said that the three men had received highest marks in the interview. He also said that the three men belonged to Aulakh’s hometown Layyah.
Talking to The Tribune, Aulakh said the three had performed well. He said the summary had been sought following a request by these men. He said he had no personal stake in the matter.
“I know they belong to Layyah, but I have requested the CM Secretariat to take notice of the matter… all these men are experienced specialists, not some new comers,” Aulakh added.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 7th, 2012.