Varsities yet to comply with HEC directives
‘People over 60 years should not get executive positions’, stress HEC.
ISLAMABAD:
Public sector universities have yet to follow the directives of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) regarding the age of people appointed on academic administrative positions.
HEC had told public sector universities not to appoint retired professors or people beyond 60 years of age to these executive positions. The public universities have yet to comply with these directives.
In his letter on November 4, 2010, Chairman HEC had stated that “to ensure good governance in academic institutions, it is important that senior scholars of repute with good administrative experience be appointed as Chairmen and Deans.”
He said that these people must be active in research and have published at least 15 papers in HEC recognised journals of international repute. Despite these instructions, a number of ‘superannuated’ persons are still enjoying the senior executive positions in universities.
Sources said that Dr Rasheed Ahmed Khan Dean Management Science, Ziaul Haq of the Islamic Studies Bashir Ahmed Khilgee of the Economics Department and Allah Bux Malik of the Education Department are still working as heads in their respective departments despite crossing age limit. Naveed Alam of management sciences is also working as head of the department without fulfilling the criteria. University spokesmen Muddasir Mukhtar said that he was working as head of the department due to unavailability of a replacement.
A person must have at least 20 years of academic experience to be appointed dean, but one of the deans in the university is a retired joint secretary.
When contacted, Aziz Ahmed Khan, Rector NUML acknowledged receipt of the directives from HEC. However, he said that all the decisions in the university were being made with prior approval from the board of governors.
According to sources, the regional directors of NUML in Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi and Faisalabad have been appointed without advertising the posts in newspapers and most of them are retired army officers.
HEC Director Riaz Hussain Pirzada said that the commission has issued directives to universities on the complaints of academic associations. He warned that universities have to follow the directives.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 28th, 2010.
Public sector universities have yet to follow the directives of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) regarding the age of people appointed on academic administrative positions.
HEC had told public sector universities not to appoint retired professors or people beyond 60 years of age to these executive positions. The public universities have yet to comply with these directives.
In his letter on November 4, 2010, Chairman HEC had stated that “to ensure good governance in academic institutions, it is important that senior scholars of repute with good administrative experience be appointed as Chairmen and Deans.”
He said that these people must be active in research and have published at least 15 papers in HEC recognised journals of international repute. Despite these instructions, a number of ‘superannuated’ persons are still enjoying the senior executive positions in universities.
Sources said that Dr Rasheed Ahmed Khan Dean Management Science, Ziaul Haq of the Islamic Studies Bashir Ahmed Khilgee of the Economics Department and Allah Bux Malik of the Education Department are still working as heads in their respective departments despite crossing age limit. Naveed Alam of management sciences is also working as head of the department without fulfilling the criteria. University spokesmen Muddasir Mukhtar said that he was working as head of the department due to unavailability of a replacement.
A person must have at least 20 years of academic experience to be appointed dean, but one of the deans in the university is a retired joint secretary.
When contacted, Aziz Ahmed Khan, Rector NUML acknowledged receipt of the directives from HEC. However, he said that all the decisions in the university were being made with prior approval from the board of governors.
According to sources, the regional directors of NUML in Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi and Faisalabad have been appointed without advertising the posts in newspapers and most of them are retired army officers.
HEC Director Riaz Hussain Pirzada said that the commission has issued directives to universities on the complaints of academic associations. He warned that universities have to follow the directives.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 28th, 2010.