Governance: Tech education authorities await permanent heads

Candidates were interviewed for the TEVTA chairman’s post last year but recruitment was not finalised.

LAHORE:

The Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) has been without a permanent chairperson since February 2013.

A TEVTA official speaking on the condition of anonymity told The Express Tribune on Tuesday that the authority had still to publish its annual performance report for financial year 2011-12.

According to TEVTA Act the report needs to be placed before the provincial assembly, he said.

The Punjab Board of Technical Education (PBTE) established under TEVTA Act to control, develop and regulate technical and conduct vocational education examinations is also without a permanent head, secretary or controller.

The official said the provincial government had invited applications for TEVTA chairman’s post (MP-I Scale on contract basis) in April 2013 following former chairman Arif Saeed’s resignation in February.

He said highly qualified, experienced and energetic professionals were encouraged to apply.  “As many as 62 candidates applied including six retired army officers and five PhD holders… Eight government officers also applied for the post.”



In October, he said the government constituted a four-member committee including the industries secretary, the regulation (S&GAD) secretary, a businessman and a retired bureaucrat to interview the shortlisted candidates.

“Thirty interviews were conducted and the selected candidates were referred to the chief minister… but recruitment was not finalised,” he said.

Industries Secretary Irfan Ali, who has had the additional charge of TEVTA chairman since February 2013, told The Express Tribune that “The post of PBTE chairman is being advertised again as no suitable candidate was found earlier... All the posts are being looked after on additional charge,” he said.

Jawad Quershi, an officer of the Office Management Group in BS-19 working as TEVTA Chief Operating Officer, currently holds the additional charge of PBTE chairperson.

“We are doing our best to reform the examination system in technical and vocational education with support from Punjab Information Technology Board,” Ali said.

The Punjab government established the TEVTA in 1999 to enhance global competitiveness in the province through a quality and productive workforce by developing demand driven, standardised, dynamic and integrated technical education and vocational training service.

The authority has had six chairpersons so far. Industrialists Sikandar Mustafa, Arif Saeed and Moshin Sayed, two retired bureaucrats Yousaf Kamal and Khalid Mehmood, and a government official Saeed Alvi have served as TEVTA chairmen.

Tevta operates more than 370 institutions including technical colleges, commercial and vocational institutions in the province. In addition, it also offers a degree programme, an associate engineering diploma and some 50 certificates to convert raw manpower to skilled.

The government has allocated Rs1.5 billion for the TEVTA during the current year as development budget.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th, 2014.