Illegal appointments: Anti-corruption team swoops down on education board

BSEK has appointed twice the number of employees it needs, claims official

KARACHI:

An anti-corruption team raided the offices of the Board of Secondary Education, Karachi and seized records after receiving complaints of illegal appointments.

The records comprised data on all the appointments and promotions made in the board in the last seven years. According to Anti-Corruption Establishment director Nazar Muhammad Bozdar, more than 600 appointments have been made through illegal means and some of these officers were appointed at grades as high as BPS-17 and BPS-18. These employees were hired on a contract or on daily wages but were later shifted to the cadre of regular employees.

"The board office has appointed twice the strength of employees [it needs]," said Bozdar. For example, in departments where it needs 10 employees, the board has appointed 20.

According to Bozdar, the board office did not follow the official protocol for hiring people as well. There were no interviews or newspaper advertisements for vacancies, he said, adding that proper procedure must be followed for the appointment of any officer.

The board chairperson is also not the relevant authority to appoint an officer of grade 16 and above, he added. Bozdar assured that the seized records will be studied thoroughly but, he added, that it can take some time.

The first step was to gather all the data on illegal appointments and promotions, Bozdar shared with The Express Tribune, adding that they will take further action on complaints in examination results. "The anti-corruption department will hold the BSEK accountable for irregularities in examinations and nepotism in results," he added.

Addressing the media at the board office, Anti-Corruption Establishment's assistant director Ghulam Shabir Memon said that they have taken all the records of the appointments. The data that they have seized from the board office has concrete proof of illegal appointments and irregularities in the department, he claimed.

On the irregularities during examinations and their results, Memon said that they have received complaints of nepotism. However, Thursday's raid was conducted specifically to collect the data for illegal appointments in the board.

When the team reached the board office, they found out that secretary Hoor Mazhar and examinations controller Noman Ahsan were on leave while the board chairperson, Anwar Ahmed Zai, was busy in some meeting. Therefore, they collected the records from the deputy secretary and the deputy controller. "The deputy controller and the secretary were in their offices and provided us all the data and details we asked for," said Memon.

He also told The Express Tribune that they have prepared a list of illegal appointments in the board office and they will process it after further investigations into the matter.

Meanwhile, no official from the board office was available to give comments on the raid.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2^nd, 2015.