PM asked to stop HEC chairperson from performing duty

Islamabad: Higher Education Working Group on Higher Education Reforms has asked the Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, being controlling authority of Higher Education Commission, to stop Dr Mukhtar Ahmad, Chairperson, HEC, to perform his official duties till the conclusion of the inquiry being conducted by National Accountability Bureau.

In a statement here, Waqar Ali, the spokesperson for the Working Group, appreciated NAB announcement to form an inquiry committee to investigate alleged illegal appointment of chairperson, Higher Education Commission.

He said that such inquiries would be greatly helpful in discouraging illegal and non-transparent appointments of heads of institutions in higher education sector. He said that his group along with other stakeholders have already raised serious observations on appointment of HEC chairperson without merit and in this regard, a detailed report was also prepared.

He said that in view of the Working Group, the effective functioning of higher education sector is conditional to appointment of capable senior academicians through transparent selection process.

Dr Kaleemullah Attal, President, Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Associations, talking to The News from Karachi on phone said that appointment of HEC chief should be done in a transparent manner as per HEC criteria.

He said that NAB is correct in its approach as after short-listing why rules were relaxed. He said that performance of universities stooped from bad to worse in four years of his tenure. He said that higher education institutions were not performing up to the mark and their ranking was declining internationally.

The FAPUASA president said that HEC governing body was not yet complete and meetings were not being held in time to deliberate over the issues of higher education sector. Most of senior appointments in HEC were on deputation. He said that universities were facing so many problems because of ad-hocism in higher education and acting vice chancellors.