The process for recruitment of teachers that began last year at the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (Fuuast) may not conclude any time soon due to the lingering administrative crisis at the varsity.
In June and July 2021, the varsity had conducted tests and interviews to appoint faculty members in various departments based on the advertisements published in 2013 and 2017. In the process, as many as 1,700 candidates appeared who applied for the positions of professors, associate and assistant professors and lecturers.
According to the Fuuast rules, it is mandatory to have the academic credibility of candidates for professorship, and associate and assistant professorship assessed by foreign experts before they can be hired. However, such reports sent last year by foreign referees are now missing from the varsity’s record.
While the ad hoc administration of the Fuuast has no clue where such reports went missing, the varsity has even not issued appointment letters to new lecturers despite the passage of 10 months after the tests and interviews were conducted.
Court order
The delay in the completion of the recruitment process is also violating an order of the Sindh High Court (SHC). On July 16, 2021, one of the candidates, Rasheed Khan, approached the SHC contending that the recruitment process was not fair, after which the high court granted stay to the selection process.
However, the high court’s verdict came on August 25, 2021, which stated that except for the position on which the plaintiff had been granted a stay, the result for the rest of the posts should be declared in due time.
Even then, Fuuast Acting Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr Zia Ul-Qayyum and the varsity’s senate seem to be unable to conclude the process. The senate, which initiated the process last year, has failed to ensure its completion.
Refuting the allegations that he was trying to create hurdles in the recruitment process, Prof Qayyum told The News he was committed to completing the appointment process as per the university act. “I’m not the appointing authority at the university, but being an acting vice-chancellor it’s my duty to ensure merit and rules,” he said.
Disputed test
According to Fuuast Senator Dr Irfan Aziz, the varsity had made aptitude tests mandatory for the new appointments so that the conditions mentioned in the 2013 and 2017 advertisements could be fulfilled.
He said that initially, there was disagreement among the heads of departments and administration regarding the aptitude test as some wanted the National Testing Service (NTS), a private body, to hold the tests while others were in favour of conducting internal entry tests.
He added that in 2021, the varsity decided not to opt for the NTS because there were outstanding dues to be paid by the varsity to the testing service.
Dr Aziz said that he and another senator Prof Dr Tauseef Ahmed Khan were in favour of the NTS holding test and they informed the administration that the test should be held under the supervision of a third party so that transparency could be ensured.
However, the varsity ignored their advice and conducted its own aptitude test for the post of lecturers in BPS 18.
“When the test was conducted, some of the candidates raised objections and levelled allegations against the university administration. They raised questions over the credibility of test and some registered complaints saying that many questions in the test were irrelevant. Therefore, the appointment procedure became disputed.”
According to Dr Aziz, when the test results were announced, only the names of successful and failed candidates were displayed with no details of marks they had obtained. He explained that this was the context in which some of the candidates approached the judiciary against then administration.
Changing administrations
In September 2021, a new ad hoc administration at Fuuast replaced the previous one. The deputy chair or the senate chairman, AQ Khalil, took over the university on September 16, 2021 as its acting VC, replacing Dr Rubina Mushtaq, who is now serving as the varsity’s registrar.
At that time, apart from four to five departments, all other departments had completed the selection and scrutiny process for the appointments of faculty members.
Before that administration could decide anything about the recruitment process, the varsity got another acting VC in November 2021 when the president of Pakistan, being the chancellor of Fuuast, gave the additional charge of the Fuuast acting VC to Allama Iqbal Open University VC Prof Qayyum.
Since then, the recruitment process has been stalled.
Endless wait
Interestingly, since 2016, every acting administration tried to appoint their blue-eyed people against vacant posts advertised in 2013 and 2017. All those who got the job after bypassing rules have been drawing salaries but those who appeared in the tests and interviews last year are still not sure whether they would be appointed or not.
Sarwat Farid was among those 1,700 candidates who waited for the tests and interviews. “I attempted the test for the post of lecturer in the English department. I was the only candidate who cleared the exam for the position of lecturer and was called for an interview. However, there is no news of the result so far and it's been more than 10 months now,” she said.
VC’s version
Talking to The News, the Fuuast acting VC confirmed that the academic record of faculty members had gone missing. “I have received a written letter from former Fuuast registrar Muhammad Sarim, in which he says that he has no record of the faculty to be appointed. The former registrar was the custodian of the record.”
To a question whether Prof Qayyum had asked Prof Rubina, the current registrar who was also the acting VC when the recruitment process was initiated, about the missing record, he replied that Prof Rubina had nothing to do with the record. He added that she had followed the rules and presented every case in the senate for approval.
The acting VC said he had met the president of Pakistan for convening a meeting of the Fuuast senate. “Being an acting VC, I am responsible to keep the record straight and make the agenda of the meeting. This is why I asked for the record. But the former administration is unable to provide it.”
Prof Qayyum also remarked that the teachers’ infighting had destabilised the Urdu University. During the last 20 years, around 13 VCs were changed while the NED University was led by the same number of VCs in the past 48 years.
It shows that the university has been unstable and needs basic reforms, he said, adding that the varsity had been suffering from financial mismanagement and administrative crisis, while academic activities were at their worst and even issues like shortage of furniture could not be resolved. “There is no one to address these issues.”
He, however, said that he would complete the appointment process. At present, he said he was analysing the academic record of the candidates for the posts of professors, and associate and assistant professors, and the scrutiny process for the hiring of lecturers would be completed soon.
“I will not allow any irregularity. Everything will be done as per the rules and after the approval of the Fuuast senate. No one can roll back the process of appointment. However, I am waiting for the president of Pakistan to convene the Senate meeting.”
