- Syndicate members say varsity administration recruited people – 200 this year alone – without Syndicate’s approval
- PU PRO negates claims, says 26 appointments on average made per month in last three years on departmental calls
The Punjab University (PU) administration is reportedly in hot waters for allegedly hiring 300 people “unlawfully” from BS-17 to BS-21 on contractual basis without any approval from the varsity’s Syndicate, Pakistan Today has learnt.
The revelation was reportedly made in the university’s Syndicate meeting held on August 29 when the matter was brought into the knowledge of the high-ups attending the meeting.
“Justice Muhammad Anwaarul Haq, who was attending the meeting as Lahore High Court (LHC) representative, was informed that during 2008 to 2013, only 30 people in BS-17 and above were hired on contract by the PU administration, however, 300 people have been hired on contract from 2014 to 2015. Some 200 people have been hired just in 2015. They include both faculty members and people on different administrative posts,” a meeting participant told Pakistan Today.
“The honorable Justice remarked that record of all those 300 people should be brought into the Syndicate and unless Syndicate approves their hiring, they have no legal status. The record of all these people has been ordered to be brought in the next Syndicate meeting. Interestingly, the sitting Vice Chancellor Dr Mujahid Kamran is completing his second term as VC in January,” he added.
According to documents available with Pakistan Today, more than 100 appointments were made on contract basis in just four months; from April 22 to August 20 this year.
“This has become a practice in PU that a person, who does not fulfill the criteria for a certain post, is first hired on contractual basis. Later, an advertisement is given in the newspapers and those already working on the contract at the university are given preference by the Selection Board and are hired permanently,” a Syndicate member said while talking to Pakistan Today.
“There are dozens of such examples. A lecturer of Law College was recently hired as assistant professor. The same person was working on contract. The sitting Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the university is also working on the contract and has applied for the permanent post of the PRO. He will be given preference in selection because he has already been working as the contractual PRO. This is how the university administration is hiring their favorites and violating the merit in a very scientific way. Now this practice has come to the knowledge of the Syndicate and hopefully it will be stopped so that only those who come on merit are hired at the prestigious institute,” he added.
“Nobody in the province enjoys so much authority. Even the chief minister has not hired so many people above BS-17 to BS-21 on contract without advertising the posts. This practice should be stopped and checked. The faculty members are very disturbed about it. Ethically, the outgoing VC should stop hiring anybody at this stage because only three months of his tenure are left and if he didn’t hire people on different posts in eight years why is he in hurry to appoint them before he goes home? This is a serious matter and should be looked into,” commented an associate professor at PU.
The PU Registrar was not available for comment on the issue despite repeated attempts.
However, Khurram Shehzad, the official spokesperson of the university negated that such appointments were made without the approval of Syndicate and was of the view that in last three years, 26 appointments on average per month were made on the demand of concerned heads of departments.
He further told Pakistan Today that transparency in contractual appointments is not compromised at PU.
“In 2012, the Selection Board gave permanent jobs to four persons in Mass Communication Department who were not working on contract in PU. This is an example of transparency,” the PRO concluded.
