The most expensive KP universities

People associate the financial crisis in KP universities with increasing unnecessary expenditure and unjustified recruitment but so far none could identify the name, blame or punish a single wrong doer.

The authorities always wait for the media (as it did in Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan) to publicly televise, for example, a harassment case, record confession statements of the victim and harasser, and financial sufferer to prove it, invite police to arrest the criminal and globally insult the whole institution. After all this, the concerned authorities start beating about the bush for a couple of days just to show voters that they are there.

Then a pin-drop silence prevails, and the wait begins until the media exposes another scandal. First, is it the duty of the media to keep an eye on institutions, report scandals, and prove the crime? If yes, then what is the duty of the concerned responsible authorities? If no, then have the concerned authorities ever identified a crime or their duty is to push the dirt under the carpet? Ignoring the past, let us analyse the role of the current intellectuals, policymakers and authorities in contributing to the increase in the problems of universities even though they were voted in the name of merit and justice in 2013 and again in 2018 in KP.

After two long years of struggle, the KP Assembly approved the 2015 Universities (amendment) Act. Honest and caring academic circles welcomed it and termed it a great step towards ensuring merit and eradication of favouritism and corruption at least in the appointment of vice-chancellors. However, after going through all these steps and consequent reforms, its implementation looked like the eagle whose beak, claws and feathers were cut by the fool kind old lady to make it charming.

Upon approval of the 2015 Amendment Act, the post of VC, University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar was advertised three times (on 15-08-2015, 16-02-2016 & 29-09-2016), and the university was kept under a temporary VC for several years even though he wasn’t eligible for the post. Under the KP Universities 2015 (Amendment) Act, only one candidate was eligible who had a PhD degree in Engineering and registration of Pakistan Engineering Council. He could not be appointed as he was neither blue-eyed nor could oblige the selectors / mafia as people do. Finally, the KP Universities 2016 (Amendment) Act was amended to make eligible the ineligible ones, and even then, the appointment was made in violation of the relaxed act.

According to Section 39 2(a) (ii) of KP Universities 2016 (Amendment) Act, the VC of an Engineering University must possess a PhD degree in Engineering. The summary of the recommended candidates included two candidates whose PhD graduation was not in Engineering in explicit violation of the Act. These candidates were so important that according to media reports, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan was approached to declare their degrees equivalent to engineering degrees but failed.

It should be noted that declaring a person an engineer is the jurisdiction of the Engineering Council (PEC) not HEC. Secondly, becoming an engineer is not a matter of equivalence but admission in and graduation from an accredited engineering institution followed by registration in the relevant body. Furthermore, producing eligibility documents after scrutiny and interview demonstrates not only the incapability of the scrutiny and academic search committee but their unlawful practices. How could they make eligible and shortlist and interview such near and dear candidates? Such documents are produced/submitted before the closing date. The most important point in the 2015 and 2016 Amendment Acts was not registration with the Engineering Council but “For an Engineering University, PhD degree in a field of engineering” and for a technology university, PhD in a field of technology”.

For this, the candidates needed admission in an engineering or technology university to earn a PhD degree to become eligible. The third on the recommended list was also great because he had established and had shares in a university to appoint himself professor and then VC to become eligible. Despite confessions of such malpractices, ineligible candidates were appointed and the same committee is still there and could not be changed. After every mishap, the same or similar sacred academicians and policymakers hold a meeting and issue warnings, etc and the education goes deeper and deeper into the hell.

Even in the recent past while making most appointments, three candidates were shortlisted for a historical institution of KP. The first was dropped by the cabinet/withdrew his candidature because of the strange claims in his CV but was rewarded in another magical novel way to rule not a single but more than one institution. The number two on the list was appointed by the authorities despite having proof of violation of TTS Statutes for financial benefits, getting 100% pension for including years of non-pensionable service and much more.

And after all this, the same people gathered and issued a press release that the “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa universities are the most expensive in the country”. Does it need rocket science to understand that when candidates with fake CVs and corrupt history are appointed, can one expect them to stop corruption? Can they refuse demands of illegal appointments by the selectors, authorities and politicians? You appoint candidates on merit, then expect something positive.

The author is a tenured professor of Physics in Peshawar University