Rule violation: UET spent Rs69m on employee scholarships

The audit committee observed that some individuals have been regularised before their two-year probation was finished.

ISLAMABAD:

The University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore doled out Rs68.7 million to fund the studies of 17 university employees in violation of Higher Education Commission (HEC) rules, according to a report by the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) presented before the National Assembly on Thursday.

The report observed that the UET violated HEC rules for scholarships to study abroad. Under the HEC criteria for MS and MPhil selection, scholarships are open to full-time teachers at public universities who have received a first division in their MA, MSc, BEng or equivalent degrees.

The audit observed that the UET management had appointed lecturers on short-term contracts, then extended the contracts and awarded them scholarships. According to UET rules, “The syndicate (university board) may grant study leave to a permanently employed teacher who holds a research or administrative post and who has completed at least three years of service.”

Anyone appointed to a post is on probation for two years, which may be extended by another year, according to the rules.

The audit committee observed that some individuals had been regularised before their two-year probation was finished. These individuals were also granted study leave despite having spent less than three years in service. “The payment of tuition fees and living expenses is irregular and deviates from the rules,” the audit observed.

The UET management stated that the syndicate, during a meeting in 2005, had decided to regularise lecturers so they could be shortlisted for scholarship selection. “Under university rules, teachers who have fewer than three years of service are granted extraordinary leave without pay to pursue their MPhil and MS degrees,” read the reply.

The AGP remarked that the reply was not satisfactory, as the process by which the scholarships were awarded went against government rules. It recommended a probe into the irregularity.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2013.