Removal of HEC chairman draws academia’s reaction

LAHORE: The abrupt removal of the chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) by the federal government attracted widespread criticism from the academia on the social media on Saturday. While some have praised the removal of Dr Tariq Banuri as the HEC chief, majority were critical of the government’s move — while also terming the same unceremonious.

Punjab chapter of the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) termed the removal of HEC chairman “hurriedly and unceremoniously.”

Meanwhile, in a tweet, GC University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Asghar Zaidi observed that Dr Tariq Banuri was an honest, well-qualified and competent chairman of the HEC. “I’m sorry to see him leave and wish him all the success for what he does next. With this treatment at the hands of politicians, can we still attract top candidates for the HEC chairman post?” the VC questioned in his tweet.

In reply to the VC’s tweet, Punjab Minister for Higher Education Raja Yassir Humayun Sarfraz wrote, “Sir (Prof Asghar Zaidi) (you) can't blame politicians for everything. There is a mafia in academia which was cooking this for some time and finally succeeded.”

A letter claimed to be have written by noted industrialist and founder of LUMS Syed Babar Ali to federal minister for education on the removal of chairman HEC, was also circulating on the social media in which he expressed his dismay over the move.

In a press release, FAPUASA Punjab chapter President Dr Abdul Sattar Malik, General Secretary Dr Ahtisham Ali and Dr Amjad Abbas Magsi, general secretary of the Punjab University Academic Staff Association (PUASA, observed that the new ordinance of HEC (Amendment) 2021 had been issued in a hurry without taking the stakeholders into confidence.

“The difference of term of office for chairman merely for two years and for members for four years is not justified in any way. The amendments must have been debated in parliament first for comprehensive input and consultative legislation,” the statement reads.

The FAPUASA Punjab observed that the new amendments should not be in any way a tacit move to give the control of HEC to the bureaucracy. “The slot of chairman HEC must be held by an academician of highest repute with an impeccable record of the administration in the higher education sector of Pakistan. The new chairman must be well aware of the issues and indigenous solutions to the issues of the higher education sector in Pakistan. Any new imported solution or role of bureaucracy would be detrimental to the higher education sector which is already in the doldrums.”

The FAPUASA representatives believed that the government would take into consideration the concerns of the teaching fraternity to avoid any untoward situation. The autonomy of higher education institutions must be intact and it would not be compromised.

It is pertinent to mention here that Cabinet Secretariat, in a notification issued late on Friday night, announced removal of Dr Tariq Banuri. “In terms of sub-section (5), read with sub-section (5A), of Section 6 of Higher Education Commission Ordinance, 2002, as amended vide Higher Education Commission (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021, Dr Tariq Danuri has ceased to be the chairperson, Higher Education Commission, forthwith and is accordingly removed from the said post, with immediate effect," reads the notification issued by the Cabinet Secretariat. He was supposed to complete his four-year term in 2022.

According to the amendment of section 6, for sub-section (5) reads: “The chairperson shall hold office for a period of two years and members shall hold office for a period of four years. In no case the chairperson and members shall be eligible for re-appointment for more than one similar term.”