New HEC ED terms own appointment transitional

During the meeting, Chaudhary categorically denied the rumour that the HEC’s autonomy is under threat.

ISLAMABAD:

Amid the furore over the sacking of his predecessor, Qamar Zaman Chaudhary presided over a Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) senior management meeting as the executive director on Friday.

During the meeting, he categorically denied the rumour that the HEC’s autonomy is under threat.

“Let me assure you that The HEC will continue to work as an independent entity. The current set up is transitional and a new executive director will be appointed following the prescribed procedure,” he said.

The Executive Director said that the HEC is only linked to the Ministry of Education and Trainings for parliamentary business and governmental interaction, and the ministry has nothing to do with the commission’s administrative affairs.

Chaudhary appreciated the initiatives taken by HEC during the last 10 years. “The good performances of the HEC management and employees is evident from the achievements that higher education sector has made over the last decade,” he said.

He said that we must remember that individuals fade away while institutions remain. “Every individual has to play his or her role to build and strengthen an institution, but successful institutions come out of the shadow of individuals.”

Chaudhary, who is also the secretary for the Ministry of Education and Trainings, was given the additional charge of HEC executive director after Sohail Naqvi’s contract was terminated over alleged improprieties in the extension of his tenure. Earlier in his career, Chaudhry served as Capital Development Authority chairman from May 1998 to November 1999.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8^th, 2012.