CM, governor appointing senior officials in violation of due process

Karachi
Following in the footsteps of Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah who recently violated rules and regulations put in place to appoint heads of the secondary and intermediate examination boards, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad, controlling authority of the Sindh Board of Technical Education (SBTE), has also appointed a chairman without the fulfilment of due procedure.
The governor, while exercising powers under Section 16(1) of the SBTE Ordinance, 1970, and Section 10 of the SBTE (Amendment) Ordinance, 2002, appointed the outgoing chairman of the Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK), Fasihuddin Khan, as the new chairman of the SBTE for a period of three years; the notification would come in to effect from June 29, whereas Khan’s term as chairman BSEK would end on June 28.
According to the procedure, appointments on senior posts of public sector universities and examination boards had to be done after advertising the vacancy in leading newspapers following which a panel/committee comprising education experts, heads of reputed institutions and official representatives of competent authorities conducted interviews of aspiring candidates; at least three applicants had to be identified by the panel.
However, the role of the committee, which was constituted to avoid biasness and nepotism in order to make the hiring process transparent, was completely overlooked in the recent appointments made both by the Sindh CM and the governor.
Governor Ebad who previously had the authority to appoint heads of examination boards before it was taken over by the CM, had appointed Saeed Siddiqui – then serving as head of the SBTE – as the BSEK chairman while appointing Khan – then serving as BSEK chairman – as head of the SBTE only eight months into their respective terms. Both the transfers were made official only by notifications.
On June 19, the CM appointed the BIEK chairman, Anwar Ahmed Zai, on the last day of service at the inter board office as the new chairman of the BSEK for the next three years.
Similarly, in the first week of June, the CM had also issued a notification under which the former education secretary Akhtar Ghauri, currently working as secretary to the governor, was appointed as the new BIEK chairman.
Both the CM and the governor were appointing retired persons as heads of the educational boards’ in violation of the Supreme Court’s orders, while also sidelining those officials deserving of the promotions.
Criticism from academic associations
The decisions of the CM and governor have since drawn condemnation from academic circles, with representatives of the Sindh Professors and Lecturers’ Association (SPLA) and the Sindh Retired Professors Association (SPRA) leading the outcry.
SPLA Karachi President Ferozuddin Ahmed Siddiqui demanded that the government appoint educationists and serving officers as chairmen of examination boards. “If the provincial government cannot find any people for these administrative posts, they should hire educationists who have recently retired as Grade 20 officers,” he suggested.
As for the recent appointments, Siddiqui said the SPLA had always rejected the idea of re-appointing retired officers as such methods greatly discouraged others in the service.
Similarly, Professor Saeed-uz-Zafar, the convener for SRPA, also strongly condemned the decisions of the CM and governor as per which the appointments of Fasihuddin Khan, Anwar Ahmed Zai and Akhtar Ghauri were finalised. “These recent appointments are evidence of the government’s policy of favouritism and nepotism,” he said.
Prof Zafar, who was also the president of the Government College Principals Association, said he had always opposed the appointment of retired people. “They have completed their service and now it is time for others to step up and lead these departments. By re-appointing retired officers, the government gives off the impression that we do not have any other qualified people and only these few individuals can handle the job,” he said.
“If the government does not allow other competent officers in the education sector to develop professionally, then how will there ever be real progress in this sector?”