Taking a stance: HEC’s controversial decisions may spark employee backlash

Salaries, regularisation and MP scale contracts among major issues discussed at meeting.

ISLAMABAD:

Some decisions taken during the 17-member governing body’s 28th meeting on Tuesday, have not gone down too well the Higher Education Commission (HEC) employees.

According to sources, 21 points were discussed during the meeting that was led by HEC Chairperson Javaid Laghari, of which the most contentious was the revocation of a 20 per cent raise in employee compensation, decided last month.

“The raise was intended only for the ministries and divisions,” said a member present at the meeting.

The decision to grant one-year extensions to the management position (MP) scale contracts of two officials was another sensitive move which is likely to draw flak from certain quarters.

One of the officers, former director general services and MP-III scale contract holder Anees Sadozai, has been holding his position despite expiry of his term on March 9.

The fates of four other MP scale contracts were discussed, causing a split between members holding contrasting viewpoints. While one group advocated HEC’s legal right to make such decisions as an autonomous body, another argued that the government needed to be consulted on the matter.

An HEC committee has been constituted to reach a consensus on the issue.

The third highlight of the meeting was the decision to regularise over 200 contractual and Public Sector Development Programme employees.

“The time-scale promotion package was approved for HEC employees in grades 1 through 16, while for staffers from grades 17 to 22, a committee will consider the legalities of the posts and positions,” HEC Executive Director Dr Mukhtar Ahmed said while speaking to The Express Tribune.

Members expressed concern over the opening of new universities and granting of charters without a No-Objection Certificate from the HEC.

The governing body referred to an earlier decision made during its 24th meeting held on November 30, 2010, where it recommended that any newly-established universities and degree awarding institutions must meet the cabinet’s criteria and guidelines, failing which the said institutions would not be recognised by the HEC

The Standard Operating Procedures for the establishment of a new higher education institution had been approved by the federal cabinet on February 27, 2002.

Other details of the meeting will be disclosed in a few days.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 10^th, 2013.