According to sources, the commission has failed to meet even once during last 14 months, which is a grave violation of the HEC Act 2002. The Act requires at least two meetings of the commission within one financial year.
The documents available with The News also confirmed that after remaining without a permanent chairman for 8 months, now the commission is functioning without its permanent executive director since April 15, 2014, the day when current chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmad was appointed.
Dr Mukhtar Ahmad was previously serving as executive director of the commission. However after his elevation as chairman, the post became vacant and a member of the commission Dr Mansoor Akbar Kundi had been holding the acting charge of the position.
According a notification no 5-496/HEC/HRM/2014/6854 issued on June 24, 2014, Dr Mansoor Akbar Kundi has been given another month extension on temporary charge, which means the post will remain vacant for at least three months.
Section 11 (B) of the HEC Act clearly states “the secretariat, headed by an executive director, shall act as the executing wing of the commission and shall be responsible for implementation of all the orders, decisions, directives and policy of the Commission”.
He is also principal accounting officer. Since there is no full-time ED, most of the HEC’s functions have stopped and there will be a serious doubt on the decisions made by the acting ED.
Moreover, the vice chancellors of Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) and Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) and rector of International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) could also not be appointed by the commission for the last six months. An advertisement was published in the national dailies on December 15, 2013 for appointments on these posts but no further progress could be made on the issue despite formulation of a search committee by the HEC.
Sources said the commission is itself functioning without its six (out of total 17) members for the last one year.When contacted by The News, Dr Mukhtar Ahmad said the commission could not meet to appoint the permanent HEC executive director owing to lack of quorum.
“We need at least nine members to complete the quorum for the commission’s meeting but owing to budget and other engagements some members of the commission were not available,” he said adding that two members of the commission are federal secretaries.
On the issue of non-appointment of VCs and rector of three top universities, he said there were some technical problems which have now been sorted out and a new search committee headed by minister for education and training Balighur Rehman will select the head of these institutions soon.
He said the appointment of six members of commission would also be made as soon as the commission met for the first time under his chairmanship.According to HEC Act 2002, the commission is an autonomous body, which deliberates on issues pertaining to evaluation, improvement and promotion of higher education, research and development and also formulates policies, guiding principles and priorities for higher education institutions.
As per the minutes of the 28th meeting of commission held on April 9, 2013, the commission nominated 29 scholars of eminence for the appointment of its remaining members but no progress could be made on the issue ever since.
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