Rule violations: Pick and choose hiring rampant at IIUI
Merit ignored in over 500 illegal appointments in IIU in last four years.
ISLAMABAD:
‘Rules are made to be broken’ seems to be the mantra at International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI), which has seen more than 500 people appointed in violation of the prescribed procedures since 2008.
Sources told The Express Tribune that the appointments have been made on ad-hoc, contract, or daily-wage basis.
According to the sources, the custom of appointing kith and kin is a “shortcut” for high-ups and director-level officers at the university. As per policy, the IIUI president can make temporary appointments for up to six months, after which the seats must be advertised, with candidates being selected on merit.
Under the rules, departments request the personnel section or the human resource department if they need new staffers. They said the department then looks for a person from any department who could be appointed to the post, and if not, a new employee is hired. However, sources have revealed that many temporary appointments are given preference when looking for permanent staffers, with the hiring rules being thrown out of the window.
By violating the rules, people who were selected on daily wages — also called contingent paid staff — are paid out of the recurring budget, which is for day-to-day affairs, sources said, adding that such violations are being made from grades 1 through 20.
In addition, sources said that many posts are only advertised on the university’s website, with no advertisements being placed in English or Urdu print media. “Even after the online ad is placed, it is understood which blue-eyed boy will be selected, denying others who could certainly be selected on merit,” a source said.
In such cases, another source said even experience and qualifications of the ‘candidates’ are relaxed.
The source revealed that the director administration is working in BPS-20 while only holding an LLB degree and lacking relevant experience. “At least 10-years experience is a requirement for director-level posts but a few directors have been promoted with merely four years of experience,” said one of the sources.
The Islamabad High Court also declared a post created by a former rector illegal.
According to some officials, such illegal appointments are made in violation of the Supreme Court’s (SC) 1996 decision, while even the president and the rector are kept in the dark.
The SC had observed that making recruitments — both ad-hoc and regular — without publicly and properly advertising the vacancies or by converting ad-hoc appointments into regular ones is a violation of fundamental rights.
One of the sources said that a member from the last Board of Governors (BOG) made clear his annoyance with the prevailing policy of hiring people on daily wages and later making them permanent employees.
IIUI Rector Dr Masoom Yasinzai said there are flaws in rules regarding promotions and hiring at the administrative level.
When asked about the process of hiring daily wages and regularising them, he said no such thing was in his knowledge, but if pointed out he would look into it.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 18th, 2012.
‘Rules are made to be broken’ seems to be the mantra at International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI), which has seen more than 500 people appointed in violation of the prescribed procedures since 2008.
Sources told The Express Tribune that the appointments have been made on ad-hoc, contract, or daily-wage basis.
According to the sources, the custom of appointing kith and kin is a “shortcut” for high-ups and director-level officers at the university. As per policy, the IIUI president can make temporary appointments for up to six months, after which the seats must be advertised, with candidates being selected on merit.
Under the rules, departments request the personnel section or the human resource department if they need new staffers. They said the department then looks for a person from any department who could be appointed to the post, and if not, a new employee is hired. However, sources have revealed that many temporary appointments are given preference when looking for permanent staffers, with the hiring rules being thrown out of the window.
By violating the rules, people who were selected on daily wages — also called contingent paid staff — are paid out of the recurring budget, which is for day-to-day affairs, sources said, adding that such violations are being made from grades 1 through 20.
In addition, sources said that many posts are only advertised on the university’s website, with no advertisements being placed in English or Urdu print media. “Even after the online ad is placed, it is understood which blue-eyed boy will be selected, denying others who could certainly be selected on merit,” a source said.
In such cases, another source said even experience and qualifications of the ‘candidates’ are relaxed.
The source revealed that the director administration is working in BPS-20 while only holding an LLB degree and lacking relevant experience. “At least 10-years experience is a requirement for director-level posts but a few directors have been promoted with merely four years of experience,” said one of the sources.
The Islamabad High Court also declared a post created by a former rector illegal.
According to some officials, such illegal appointments are made in violation of the Supreme Court’s (SC) 1996 decision, while even the president and the rector are kept in the dark.
The SC had observed that making recruitments — both ad-hoc and regular — without publicly and properly advertising the vacancies or by converting ad-hoc appointments into regular ones is a violation of fundamental rights.
One of the sources said that a member from the last Board of Governors (BOG) made clear his annoyance with the prevailing policy of hiring people on daily wages and later making them permanent employees.
IIUI Rector Dr Masoom Yasinzai said there are flaws in rules regarding promotions and hiring at the administrative level.
When asked about the process of hiring daily wages and regularising them, he said no such thing was in his knowledge, but if pointed out he would look into it.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 18th, 2012.