KARACHI:
The situation at the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has become complicated following the removal of the executive director, posing serious challenges to the current administration.
Some people have approached the courts against the advertisement issued by the Commission for the appointment of a new executive director. The complainants who filed petitions in court have raised objections regarding the advertisement for the appointment of new executive director. The advertisement has been challenged in the Lahore High Court as well as in a court in Islamabad.
It has been reported that the court has issued a stay order, halting the recruitment process for the new executive director. In the advertisement published in the last week of May, the age limit was set at 65 years. However, in the advertisement for the same position in 2023, the age limit was 62 years, which is being considered a violation of federal government rules.
Furthermore, the advertisement allows candidates only 15 days to submit applications, compared to 30 days in the 2023 advertisement.
Critics argue that since the current HEC Chairman, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, is completing his third term in the last week of July and wants the appointment to be made during his tenure, the entire process is being rushed. There is also ambiguity regarding further extension of Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed’s term.
Sources close to Dr. Mukhtar said that he was initially given a two-year term, of which one year has passed, and he may now receive an additional year. However, his critics point out that he has already served as HEC Chairman twice before and was appointed for a third term, meaning this is not a new term but merely a one-year extension, which will expire on July 29.
Meanwhile, regarding the appointment of the executive director, it has been learned that the HEC has reportedly received over two dozen applications from across the country, including vice chancellors of some public sector universities from Sindh and Punjab. However, the HEC chairman does not consider some of them suitable for the position.
