Foreign PhDs not quite up GCU standards
LAHORE: The Computer Science Department (CSD) of the Government College University (GCU), Lahore finds itself at the centre of a new controversy, after the appointment of an assistant professor from the Physics department as the head of the CSD, over the heads of two senior foreign qualified Computer Science teachers.
Prof Saleem Khan, a PhD in Physics, was elevated to the position of department chairman, superseding two senior Computer Science teachers and PhDs, Prof Asad Raza Kazmi and Prof Moeezur Rehman.
Daily Times has learnt that Prof Khan, an Old Ravian, has been teaching at GCU since 1987 and recently completed his PhD on ‘Dynamical control systems: design, modelling, simulation in distributed and local environment’ from the GCU Physics faculty.
Prof Asad Raza Kazmi, on the other hand, has around three years of service at GCU. He completed his PhD on ‘Intuitionistic linear-Time µ-Calculus’ in 2007 from the Institute of Software at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.
Prof Moeezur Rehman, who completed his doctoral studies in 2008, has around two years of experience at the university, and is armed with a PhD on ‘Hybrid model of electronic negotiation: integration of negotiation support and automated negotiation models’ from the University of Hohenheim, Germany.
In addition, the two side-lined professors have published various research papers, with Prof Asad Raza Kazmi and Prof Moeezur Rehman having published four and two research papers, respectively. Ironically, the current CSD head does not have a single publication to his name.
In the presence of two such strong contenders, the appointment of ‘an outsider’ as head of the CSD seems to be an anomaly. However, the department is no stranger to controversy. For nearly three years, internal politics have compromised the quality of this once-promising department. In December 2007, disagreements between the faculty and the administration reached a boiling point when former CSD head Prof Malik Tariq and two other faculty members resigned, citing “interference and victimisation”. Then, in March 2009, the new head of department, Prof Majid Naeem – along with 31 faculty members and employees – resigned en masse for the same reasons.
Following their departure, these individuals protested against GCU Registrar Sahibzada Faisal Khursheed and alleged that he interfered and tried to manipulate the affairs of the department. Following these incidents, Vice Chancellor Dr Khalid Aftab promised the CSD students that the administration would resolve all these issues and maintain the standard of the university.
But rather than addressing their problems, students say the university placed Prof Saleem Khan, a virtual outsider, in charge of the department’s affairs almost immediately after Prof Naeem’s departure.
Sources within the university told Daily Times that Prof Saleem Khan was one of the VC’s “favourites” and – being an Old Ravian – was preferred for appointment as CSD head. Incidentally, since his posting, the university has advertised and invited applications on several vacant positions, including key positions such as university treasurer, but the post of CSD head is still filled by an ad hoc candidate, and no permanent appointment has been made so far.
Now, the matter has come to a head, and CSD students are complaining of mismanagement. A BCS (Final Semester) student told Daily Times this political wrangling had taken its toll on the standard of studies at the CSD. “You need to remember that out in the market, we are competing directly with graduates of LUMS, FAST and other leading universities. When no reputed teacher or technically-qualified instructor is willing to come and teach here, how can you expect the standard to be maintained,” she said. “It’s Rs 200,000 down the drain.” A senior GCU faculty member echoed the student’s concerns. “No qualified and reasonable people are willing to join the
department due to the policies of the administration.Daily times
