Promotion of Senior KU Teachers comes under Criticism
Karachi:08 May: Lack of transparency and procedural irregularities have marred the recent teachers’ promotion process at Karachi University (KU), sources told Dawn on Wednesday.
Dissent, they said, was raised at the last syndicate meeting held to review the selection boards’ recommendations for grade-22 promotions but was conveniently ignored by members in majority.
The selection process took more than two years to complete.
What happened in the syndicate is highly regrettable; the university administration didn’t provide synopses [brief description about each candidate’s academic achievements, works] to members in order to have a discussion on their merit. Worse still, the forum approved promotions as sent by the selection board,” said a member of the KU syndicate on condition of anonymity.
The syndicate’s composition, he said, needed to be reviewed as it had become a ‘constituency’ of teachers, protecting each other’s vested interests. “I came to know later that a member, who was vocal against the tainted promotion process earlier, changed his stance in the syndicate meeting only because the university administration also included his wife in the promotion list,” he said.
According to the sources, other major objections against the process included grant of promotion to those who had less experience and had political backing.
At least two teachers, they said, had been promoted without a vacant post and their appointment was subjected to professors’ retirement.
The entire process was flawed and needs to be investigated thoroughly,” said Dr Riaz Ahmed, a senior university teacher who has launched a forum against alleged malpractices on the campus.
At least two teachers, they said, had submitted their complaints to the vice chancellor, expressing serious reservations over the promotion process.
“A major irregularity in the promotion process was that the university filled four posts that fell vacant after the last date for submitting applications had passed. According to rules, the university should have advertised these posts first and then fill them,” writes Dean Faculty of Islamic Studies Prof Dr Mohammad Shakeel Auj in his petition to the vice chancellor.
He continues, “In order to accommodate certain people, the administration introduced a new phenomenon this year that has no legal grounds; ‘promotion in-waiting’ (two appointments were made without vacant posts).”
Another teacher, Prof Nasira Khatoon of the Zoology department writes, “I came to know that one candidate with 64.5 per cent marks during the selection process was reported to have 72 marks in the syndicate meeting though he should have been at the bottom of the list behind those who had 65 marks.”
The KU vice chancellor and the media adviser were not available for comments.
Prof Abid Azhar, who processed all applications before they were sent to the selection board, contended that there was no irregularity and teachers who gained maximum marks were selected.
When he was asked about a teacher whose numbers reportedly changed when presented in the syndicate meeting, he replied that he (Dr Ansar Rizvi) had not been promoted.
When he was told that he was among the promoted teachers, he said he was unaware of his promotion.
“I can’t disclose the details of the selection process but those selected are on merit,” he said.
Those who have been promoted are: Prof Jameel Kazmi, Prof Tabassum Mumtaz, Prof Nighat Siddiqui, Prof Ghazala Rizwani, Prof Waseemuddin, Prof Moonis Ahmer, Prof Shahina Fayyaz, Prof Saleem Shehzad, Prof Iqbal Chaudhry, Prof Seema Munaf, Prof Rafiq Alam Khan, Prof Nasreen Aslam and Prof Ansar Rizvi.Dawn.
