ISLAMABAD - Islamabad High Court (IHC) Monday directed the federal government to appoint a permanent chairperson of Higher Education Commission (HEC) till February 12 in a transparent manner as prescribed under HEC Act.
A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui issued these directions after a joint secretary of Ministry of Education, Training and Standards in Higher Education appeared before the court and informed that the ministry had forwarded a summary for the appointment of permanent/regular chairperson of HEC on September 24, 2013 to the HEC controlling authority who is Prime Minister. He further told that till this time there is an acting chairman HEC appointed by the federal government whose tenure would expire on February 12, 2014.
After hearing him, Justice Siddiqui directed to appoint chairperson of HEC on or before February 12. Justice Siddiqui remarked that the chairman HEC is an important post for the higher education and government should be serious about this post.
Renowned educationist, founder chairman of Higher Education Commission (HEC) and President Pakistan Academy of Sciences (PAS) Prof Dr Atta-ur-Rahman had filed the petition for the appointment of a permanent and regular chairperson of HEC without any further delay through a transparent and merit based mechanism.
Dr Atta-ur-Rehman moved the petition through his counsel Mian Umer Hanif Khichi advocate and cited Principal Secretary to Prime Minister and Secretary Education and Standards in Higher Education as respondents.
In his petition, President PAS stated that since former chairperson’s first four year term ended on August 26th, 2013, therefore, since to the present, the office of the Chairperson HEC is vacant, which is a statutory office and most significant in role.
His counsel Mian Umer Hanif maintained that it has been explicitly laid down in Section: 8(3) of the HEC Ordinance 2002 that the position of HEC Chairman to lie vacant for a maximum of three months and it is mandatory that after 90 days, regular Chairperson must be appointed.
He informed the court that the academic circles, Vice Chancellors of the various universities, Academic Staff Associations, students and the public at large, who are the key stakeholders, had already expressed reservations on non-initiation of process for appointment of permanent/regular Chairman HEC.
“The education experts and stakeholders believe that delay in the appointment is badly damaging the higher education sector as HEC chairman along with the 17 member HEC board called the “Commission” takes the key decisions regarding all policy matters as described in above-stated paragraphs and in the functioning of national universities and higher education institutions,” maintained the petitioner.
Dr Atta said that the regular Chairperson, HEC has not been appointed by the government and due to non-appointment of regular/permanent Chairman, HEC is hampering important decisions, policy matters and its implementation and the higher education sector, comprising of over 150 universities, 258 campuses, 1.2 million students, 32,000 faculty members, including over 7600 PhD faculty, and administrative/support staff of over 100,000.
Through the petition, Dr Atta-ur-Rehman prayed that the respondents may be directed to appoint a qualified person of international eminence and proven ability who has made significant contribution to higher education as teacher, researcher or administrator, as regular Chairperson HEC for a period of four years, on such terms and conditions as it may determine in a transparent manner, immediately as prescribed under the law.