Malakand University faculty deny misbehaving with vice-chancellor

TIMERGARA: The Malakand University Teachers Association on Friday rejected the allegations of misbehaving with vice-chancellor of the University of Malakand during their protest.

Talking to this scribe at the university in Chakdara, the association’s President Dr Samiur Rahman and General Secretary Shafiul Haq said they had been shocked by the serious allegations levelled by the Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Gul Zaman against teachers which included an exchange of harsh words with him and trying to snatch the gun from his bodyguard. They said the facts needed to be corrected.

The teachers’ body representatives rejected the allegations as baseless and said the video which had gone viral and was still available on social media proved their version.

Shafiul Haq said it was the second week of the peaceful protest and all the protesting teachers took classes

“We arrange a protest walk every week after 2 pm when the classes are over. This was the second protest walk in the second consecutive week when this incident occurred,” he said.

Shafiul Haq maintained that they have been peaceful throughout these two weeks and fulfilled all responsibilities while wearing black ribbons.

Dr Samiur Rahman alleged that the vice-chancellor was using delaying tactics to implement the Universities Model Act 2012 extended to the varsity in February 2020.

He said according to the act the university was bound to frame new statues within two months but the vice-chancellor had implemented the University of Peshawar statues at the University of Malakand in sheer violation of the act.

The association’s office-bearers alleged that the vice-chancellor tasked a committee of his choice to frame new statutes for the varsity.

They said after the pressure from the employees, the vice-chancellor constituted a representative review committee, which had members from different cadres.

They pointed out that after two months this committee finalized and submitted the draft to the vice-chancellor but instead an unsigned draft of his own was placed before the Syndicate.

The office-bearers alleged that the vice-chancellor used the powers of the Syndicate and formed another committee which was tasked to review this draft and send it to the Senate for approval directly.

They said that according to the act, the Syndicate shall recommend statutes to the Senate but to cover his illegalities in the draft statutes, the vice-chancellor tasked the committee to recommend statutes to the Senate.

They said they started a peaceful protest by wearing black armbands and holding a protest walk once a week.

The association’s office-bearers demanded the relevant authorities to take notice of the issue and conduct an impartial inquiry into the matter and take legal action against those found guilty.

On the other hand, Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Gul Zaman told this reporter that a four-member committee had been constituted to prepare a draft of the new statues but later the committee was reviewed and a nine-member body was formed which prepared a draft of 287 pages.

He said the committee sought comments and observations from all 700 employees of the varsity before presenting the draft in Syndicate and Dr Samiur Rahman suggested a 49-point change in the draft.

Dr Gul Zaman said that the university Syndicate decided to constitute another committee to review the draft statutes and a five-member committee comprising convener Dr Zahoor Swati, retired director finance Hazara University, Akbar Khan, Ureed Khan the then registrar of University of Peshawar and a retired judge, Miftahuddin to review the draft in detail.

The vice-chancellor said in the first session of the committee meeting held in Peshawar, 75 pages of the total 287 of the draft were reviewed while the rest would be reviewed in the next meeting.

“Once the committee proposes the draft after a complete review, it would be sent to the pre-Senate [meeting] and then Senate which would forward it for the governor’s approval”, Dr Gul Zaman said. “I have nothing to do with the formulation of statues and the new statutes would be approved by the chancellor,” he added.

He said the protesting faculty members wanted their promotion on the time scale like that of schools and colleges but this was impossible.

“I have always listened to my faculty members with patience but they always refused to sit with me to resolve their issues in a peaceful manner,” Dr Gul Zaman maintained.