The Punjab University (PU) administration has appointed several wardens and superintendents at its hostels in sheer violation of set down rules and regulations Pakistan Today has learnt reliably.
Per the rules of the PU Hall Council, a proper advertisement is required for appointment of wardens and superintendents of male and female hostels. Thereafter, candidates who are willing to apply must fill an application form.
In addition, appointments of wardens requires that candidates be professors or associate professors and the selection be made on a seniority basis. Similarly for superintendents, regulations imply that all candidates must be assistant professors.
The hall council chairman can call a meeting of committee members in case of non availability of a professor or an associate professor and following deliberations the committee can assign the designation to a particular person.
However, for reasons unknown, the positions were not advertised and all appointments were based on political influence and favouritism.
There are 90 departments in Punjab University and more than 900 faculty members are working in the university, 20 percent of which are females.
These include 60 professors, 250 assistant professors, 300 associate professors and around 250 lecturers.
There are 16 male and 10 female hostels in the new PU campus.
10 lecturers (1 in male hostels and 9 in female hostels) were appointed as hostel wardens and superintendents, in complete violation of set rules. All appointments are being made directly through applications to the vice chancellor (VC), without advertisements.
A professor at PU, on condition of anonymity told Pakistan Today, “This time appointments were made very silently and as favours, personal or political. All appointments were made through applications which were approved by the VC, which is a violation of university rules”.
Another former professor from PU while talking to Pakistan Today on condition of anonymity said, “I was a member of the hall council committee and at that time advertisements were used for recruitment and all appointments were made on merit. Now, the superintendent at hostel No. 1 is single and has been allotted a seat which is strictly for married professors. These kinds of discrepancies have an impact on an institution known for its merit.”
The PU administration denied that the process of appointments of wardens and superintendents were made against rules and regulations. When Pakistan Today asked for a copy of the advertisement that the PU administration had given for the positions, they said it was “unavailable”.
