Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Educational activities at Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University (SBBU) Sheringal, Dir Upper, have been experiencing a downward trend because the varsity has no regular vice chancellor, while the registrar with a look-after charge is accused of trampling established rules in hiring and firing of staff, documents reveal.

According to documents reviewed by Daily Times, Badshah Hussain, the registrar whose substantive position is additional director Quality Enhancement Cell (QEC) in BPS-19, has a ‘look after charge’ at the university, but he has been taking decisions pertaining to hiring and firing of staff, overstepping his authority since July 4, 2017.

“Because on weak ground, Hussain bows to political pressure and gives undue favours to politicians of certain political parties. He is hiring and firing university staff at politicians’ behest,” says Sher Ali, a procurement officer at SBBU.

When contacted, Hussain said that some elements within the university had started a propaganda campaign against him. “These allegations are without an iota of truth. I took a number of steps to improve the quality of education and I had to downsize the staff,” he added.

However, Ali noted, “It is strange that after terminating the staff, hiring on the same seats was advertised within two weeks on February 13, 2018. It means that he has fired people to create space for some other candidates. This leaves his downsizing claim ineffective.”

According to documents quoting Regulations 2009 of SBBU Section 12 regarding appointment and removal of the vice-chancellor sub-section 9, ‘when the office of the Vice-Chancellor is vacant at any time, or the Vice-Chancellor is absent or is unable to perform the functions of his office due to illness or some other cause, the Chancellor may appoint one of the Deans or officer of the University to officiate as Vice-Chancellor’.

Further, the registrar has increased the hard area allowance in salary of all employees without the approval of the Senate. This increase cannot even be given by a regular vice chancellor and chancellor.

“He has bypassed every authority and body in order to gain sympathies of employees and politicians in an apparent attempt to secure his position,” Ali remarked.

Employing his look after charge, Hussain in a letter addressed to dozens of university’s employees dated December 8, 2017, said that ‘in pursuance of powers conferred upon him under section 11 (5) (C) of the university regulation 2009, the vice chancellor is pleased to extend the ad hoc period of the following faculty members of the main campus Sheringal with effect July 1, 2017 till December 31, 2017. The ad hoc service shall be considered as terminated automatically, if further extension letter is not issued before December 31, 2017. Keeping in view that letter, Ali said that dozens of employees didn’t get extension letters, leaving them terminated. These employees have now approached the court to get themselves restored.

Education standards have meanwhile deteriorated and the varsity has turned into a hub of politics, nepotism and financial irregularities, he observed. He demanded that the Pakistan Tehrike-e-Insaf (PTI) government and the Provincial Inspection Team should conduct a thorough inquiry to improve the deteriorated state of education at the institute and check the credentials of Hussain to know whether he was even qualified to take certain vital decisions in his capacity as a the registrar. Hussain had made certain transfers, postings and hiring and firing decisions at the SBBU to please political figures against his authority, Ali noted.

For example, according to a request letter on June 1, 2017 by the University of Chitral (UoC) for transfer of employees to main SBBU campus, Muhammad Ibrahim Jan, assistant registrar, Samiullah Khan, lecturer in Computer Science, Zahoor Ahmad, lecturer in Computer Science and three others Were transferred to SBBU from UoC. According to a letter by the KP government’s Higher Education, Archives and Libraries Department, addressed to the registrar, ‘it is therefore requested to look after the affairs of the university in important matters till the appointment of acting vice chancellor/ regular vice chancellor’.

“One wonders how the registrar with look after charge uses the powers of a full fledge vice chancellor,” Ali questioned.

He demanded a high-powered inquiry committee should be formed to investigate the anomalies at the SBBU to salvage the past grandeur of this lone educational institution.

Published in Daily Times, February 25^th 2018.