PESHAWAR: Highly qualified and experienced academics who failed to get shortlisted for the jobs of university vice-chancellors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are seeking transparency in the selection process as they believe merit wasn’t followed while shortlisting the candidates.
Several academics who were candidates for the three positions of vice-chancellors approached The News to record their reservations over the selection process carried out by the academic and search committee formed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in the province. It is headed by known scientist Dr Atta-ur-Rahman, who also remained federal minister for science and technology and chairman of Higher Education Commission in the past.
A total of 111 candidates had applied for the post of vice-chancellor of Agriculture University, Peshawar and University of Haripur. The Higher Education Department in KP declared 92 candidates eligible and 22 of them were shortlisted and called for interview. For the vice-chancellor’s job at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University, Peshawar, six candidates have been shortlisted out of over a dozen and called for interview.
The biggest number of candidates reportedly belonged to the Agriculture University, Peshawar where the post of vice-chancellor is being filled after a long delay. Sources at the university said more than 30 candidates applied for the job, but almost all of them failed to get shortlisted. The sources said two retired professors of the university, Khan Bahadur Marwat and Hameedullah Shah, were shortlisted along with a serving professor who is way down in the seniority list. Prof Khan Bahadur Marwat has already served as vice-chancellor at two universities and has been shortlisted for a possible third term as vice-chancellor.
The disappointed academics pointed out that four Meritorious Professors, including Dr Hidayatur Rahman, Dr Farhatullah, Dr Fida Mohammad and Dr Shad Khan, too weren’t shortlisted. All four are in grade-22. Dr Hidayatur Rahman has 37 years of experience in teaching and management, has scores of publications and produced PhDs and MScs, but was unable to find favour with the academic and search committee. Dr Farhatullah is next in seniority and experience, but he too has been ignored.
The professors in grade 21 at the Agriculture University too are outraged not to be shortlisted for the vice-chancellor’s job.
One major complaint of these candidates is the lack of transparency in the selection process. They want to know how the shortlisting was done and are keen that the grading process is made public so that the candidates come to know about their strengths and weaknesses. Some of them wondered why they were shortlisted the last time when vice-chancellors of nine universities in KP were being selected and ignored this time. They said they were in the dark about the criteria of selection as some of the shortlisted candidates don’t merit selection.
One senior academic asked how a PhD obtained in Pakistan can be compared with a similar degree from abroad. Also, he wanted to know if PhD in one subject could be compared with another subject during the selection process. “In the old days, the education system was good and the selection process of vice-chancellor was so fair and largely non-controversial. Now things are kept secret and transparency is lacking in selection of vice-chancellors and for other senior jobs,” he remarked.
Another academic was at a loss to understand why such a short notice was given by the academic and search committee for interviews. He also questioned appointment of candidates from Punjab as vice-chancellors in KP by the academic and search committee. “Don’t we have talented and experienced candidates in KP? There are cases of favouritism in the appointments of vice-chancellors by the committee in the past,” he claimed.
At least four candidates for vice-chancellor from the Agriculture University, Peshawar including Dr Farhatullah, Dr Mansoor Khattak, Dr Farmanullah and Dr Subhan Qureshi have even approached the court for a stay order against the interviews that were to be conducted from November 23.
