ISLAMABAD - The Higher Education Commission (HEC) selection board has recommended promotions of its employees in disregard to the promotional criteria.
Although the 17-member governing commission of HEC is yet to approve the promotions, the legitimacy of promotions of a few officials has been questioned due to their controversial record.
The departmental promotion board has recommended around a dozen promotions of deputy directors, directors, director generals and advisors from grade 18 to 21.
Arshad Kamran, who served as a Director Planning and Development at Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology, on deputation has been recommended to be promoted as director general without completing a year after his repatriation to his parent department.
Whereas, the HEC Act says that: 'An employee of HEC, on deputation to federal or provincial government, institution, foreign government, international agency or private organisation abroad will be considered for promotion only on his return to the Commission and earning at least one good performance evaluation report for one full year, before s/he is considered for promotion.'
Besides, documents show that Arshad Kamran committed a fraud of millions of rupees with the university and it has written to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to initiate inquiry against the HEC official.
The promotion of an employee, according to the HEC by-laws, is deferred due to pendency of criminal case, involving moral turpitude, disciplinary or departmental proceedings pending against the officer/official and subjudice seniority of officer/official.
Former chairperson of Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) Shaheen Khan who has recently been repatriated to her parent department after working on deputation in the board also does not fulfill the requirement for promotion until she completes a year at the HEC but her name has been recommended for the post of Advisor.
A case of another employee, Ghulam Nabi, has been considered for promotion who still has been working on deputation at Government College University, Faisalabad.
The absence of two selection board members out of seven is also being objected by the officials. “Secretary Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training was absent from the board meeting. The post of Member Operation and Planning of HEC is lying vacant who is also represented in the board. As the post of Executive Director also remains vacant, Acting ED Mansoor Akbar Kundi who himself working on deputation at HEC attended board proceedings on behalf of permanent ED,” informed an official.
“In the light of court judgment that key officials appointed for interim period should only look after day to day affairs and not be a part of such crucial and policy decisions,” officials said.
A few officials have challenged the seniority list of, directors, DGs also at the level of HEC and court as well and, according to officials, in such situation the board can't continue its proceedings and promotions can't be validated.
“These are just recommendations of the selection board. The commission will review them and may send back if it finds any erroneously considered cases,” maintains HEC Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed. Regarding fraud complaints of the university, he said, “accusations are levelled but nothing has proved yet. Everything will be done according to the law”.