Criteria for SBKWU VC changed to accommodate favourite

Islamabad: Despite change in the government, it seems no change has taken place in the mindset of the ruling elites as favouritism still rules the roost in Balochistan, where new governor has launched a vilification campaign to get appointed blue-eyed in province's only women university, Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University, as vice chancellor (VC).

Official documents available with this scribe reflect that the Governor Secretariat Balochistan advertised the post of Vice Chancellor Sardar Bahadur Khan Women's University (SBKWU) with specific changes in the eligibility criteria for the post allegedly to favor some to be accommodated on whims and wishes of an individual.

According to the document available with 'The News', the advertisement for the vacancy of vice chancellor clearly depicted a change in the criteria and most questionable point is that there is no requirement of the experience as only mentioned years.

Besides, the second notable point is change in the age limit, which is mentioned as maximum 62 years and these changes are seemingly to accommodate some person of governor Balochistan against the post.

Sardar Bahadur Khan Women's University is Pakistan's third and Balochistan's first women's university, which was established back in 2004. The purpose of the university is to focus at the progress and development not only in the field of education but to make student independent and confident to adapt themselves to professional fields or to set up their own business as entrepreneur.

The documents show that the post has been advertised on May 22, 2019, some six months before the expiry of the tenure of the incumbent Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Rukhsana Jabeen i.e. November l9, 2019. Dr Rukhsana Jabeen has been credited for leaving no stone unturned to take the institution among the leading educational institutes of the country in a short span of time.

Ironically, the advertisement mentioned that a PhD degree holder is required for the VC post with no specific mentioned of experience and research publications only mentioned that the VC should have listening, speaking and writing & analytical and problem solving skills.

Despite limited human and material resources and unfavorable circumstances, the SBKWU under the dynamic leadership of Dr Rukhsana, has made remarkable achievements which could be judged from upraised number of girl students, besides the university has now grown into six faculties with 31 department running, PhD, M.Phil, masters and BS programmes in multiple disciplines.

During 2013, when the tragic incidents of the bomb blast in one of university's students' bus brought calamity and the university was shut down for a couple of months as parents of girl students refused to send their daughters to the university. However, it was Dr Rukhsana who went from house to house and convinced parents to send back their daughters to the university.

It was a very difficult task in that uncertain situation as that time the strength of the university students was only 1,500 before Dr Rukhsana took over. Despite located in a high risk area, the university today has over 10,000 girl students - mostly from Baloch and Pashtun families - thanks to hectic advocacy campaign by VC Dr. Rukhsana who revitalised the administrative and academic activities of the university.

Today, the university facilitates women not only from all over Balochistan and other parts of the country but girls from foreign countries have been registered in the university as well, which proves that university is in the best and safe hands.

Due to her performance, the previous governor Bolochistan Mohammad Khan Achakzai had given one-year extension in tenure of Dr Rukhsana as VC SBKWU from November l9, 20l8 to November 18, 20l9. But this extension was not limited to Dr Rukhsana as vice chancellors of four public sector universities as senior PhD scholars are not eager to serve in Balochistan due to law and order situation.

More interestingly, Governor's Secretariat had advertised the post of VC University of Balochistan (UoB) along with VC of SBKWU but the advertisement of UoB VC was withdrawn immediately afterwards and only now the VC of SBKWU is up for grabs which amounts to harassment on gender basis.

Similarly, the current governor Balochistan has further extended the tenure of the VC of UoB, but ironically no extension has been given to VC Dr. Rukhsana's tenure despite her achievements.

This is also to be noticed that according to the SBK University's Act, second tenure of the vice chancellor is given through university's senate committee, only when first tenure is completed. Vice Chancellor Dr. Rukhsana got second tenure, according to the University Act, 5-year tenure which consists of three broken extensions.

According to the Act, if the governor feels the need of abolishing the tenure of a vice chancellor, he can do so only after getting it approved in the senate meeting in context of huge mismanagement, corruption, or on the medical grounds (if any).

It is pertinent to mention here that the policy of incumbent Governor Balochistan may reverse the hard earned gains of Dr Rukhsana if he pursues his policy of favouritism by appointing an unqualified, inexperienced person on the most responsible position for whom allegedly Governor Secretariat Balochistan made especial changes in criteria of qualification.