–Advertisement for the post excludes work and research experience as a requirement
ISLAMABAD: Nepotism and favouritism ruled the roost in the most underdeveloped yet largest province of the country as the Balochistan Governor Secretariat advertised the post of Sardar Bahadur Khan Women’s University (SBKWU) vice-chancellor with definite changes to the eligibility criteria in order to favour a certain blue-eyed.
According to documents available with Pakistan Today, the advisement displayed significant changes to the eligibility criteria with the most questionable being the absence of experience requirement. Besides that, age limit has been changed to a maximum of 62.
Sources said that the changes have been made to accommodate some blue-eyed person of Governor Justice (r) Amanullah Khan Yasinzai.
The advertisement stated that the candidate should hold a PhD degree but no other clause was attached to it while it is a common practice for the leading academic figures of a university to have sufficient research experience. The advertisement focuses on listening, speaking, writing and analytical skills instead.
For those not accustomed with the reputation of the university, it is worth mentioning here that SBKWU is Pakistan’s third and Balochistan’s first women’s university which was established in 2004 with the aim of spearheading progress and development in different sectors of life.
Another important aspect of the advertisement is the date of its publication. It was advertised on May 22, 2019, nearly six months before the tenure expiration of incumbent Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Rukhsana Jabeen, who left no stone unturned to transform the university into one of the country’s most prominent educational institutes.
Despite limited resources and unfavourable social circumstances, the university has achieved remarkable success. The enrolment rate went higher and a number of departments were introduced, taking the tally to 31 with baccalaureate, masters, MPhil and PhD programmes in multiple disciplines.
Back in 2013, when an attack took place in one of the university buses, leading the university to be shut down for a few months, Dr Rukhsana worked day and night to revitalise the administrative and academic activities of the university.
Due to her performance, former governor Mohammad Khan Achakzai gave her a one-year extension, however, the incumbent governor extended the tenure of the University of Balochistan (UoB) vice-chancellor without paying any consideration to Dr Rukhsana.
According to the university act, the second tenure of the vice-chancellor is awarded after approval from the university’s senate committee upon completion of the first tenure. Dr Rukhsana got her second 5-year tenure in accordance with the university act which consists of three broken extensions.
The act states that if the governor wants to end the tenure of a vice-chancellor, they can only do so after gaining approval from the senate committee and that too on serious charges such as mismanagement, corruption and medical grounds (if any).
All of these developments hint towards a possible move in the constituencies of nepotism which would not only reverse hard-earned success but also make things worse.
