Anees Takar
MARDAN: Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan (AWKUM) is currently under scrutiny due to allegations of maladministration and questionable appointments which have raised concerns about the institution’s compliance with Higher Education Commission (HEC) regulations.
The university has faced criticism for appointing individuals who do not meet the necessary qualifications for permanent faculty positions, disregarding the HEC’s guidelines.
In 2017, the HEC took a significant step by formalizing new qualification requirements for assistant professors and lecturers. According to these regulations, assistant professors were required to hold a Ph.D., while lecturers needed an MS or MPhil degree. This policy was communicated through a notification in 2017, and universities were instructed to strictly adhere to these criteria for faculty appointments. The notification can still be found on the HEC website, underlining its importance.
However, recent developments in 2021 and 2022 have raised questions about AWKUM’s adherence to these standards. During this period, the university hired several assistant professors without the necessary Ph.D. qualifications. The sources within the university shared that these appointments were made in various departments, including HRM, Economics, Physical Education and Sports, and Political Science.
A professor within the university revealed that a “selection board” was formed for these appointments. Still, a member of the search committee for vice-chancellors emphasized that universities must rigorously follow the HEC rules while forming selection boards for appointments. Even during Dr. Attaur Rehman’s tenure as HEC chairman, universities were urged to uphold the Ph.D. criterion for assistant professors, highlighting the significance of this qualification requirement.
Another significant concern raised by students is the delay in organizing convocations. Many students claim to have paid the “convocation fee” but have not had their convocations held. This has left them without a formal recognition of their academic achievements and, in some cases, has caused distress.
Tauseef Ali, a graduate from AWKUM in 2020, expressed his disappointment regarding the delay in conducting convocations. He stated that he and his fellow graduates had not experienced this essential ceremony, even after paying the required fees. A female student who achieved distinction in the 2019 session echoed this sentiment, highlighting the lack of recognition for her achievements due to the absence of a convocation.
This student described how she paid both convocation and degree fees, only to receive her degree in an ordinary office file without the customary formal cover file that signifies the importance of the accomplishment. The absence of a proper convocation has caused distress among the graduates who feel they lack the tangible proof of their academic success.
Abid Mehmood, from the university’s public relations wing, acknowledged the delay in conducting convocations and explained that the university had encountered some issues in this regard. However, he assured that AWKUM intended to conduct a convocation within the next month or two. Regarding the degree cover files, he admitted that they had been unavailable for some time, resulting in degrees being given to students without them. He stated that recent efforts had been made to procure these covers for the graduates.
When questioned about the appointment of non-Ph.D. holders as assistant professors, Abid Mehmood suggested contacting the university registrar for further information. However, the university registrar, Saim Sohail, declined to comment on the issue, claiming that he was not in his position during the days in question.
In response to these allegations, Governor Ghulam Ali, who also serves as the chancellor of public sector universities in KP, expressed his commitment to addressing the matter. He affirmed, “No one is permitted to violate rules and laws in the universities,” underlining the importance of upholding the integrity of the education system.
The allegations against AWKUM raise concerns not only about the adherence to HEC regulations but also the impact on students’ academic experiences. The delay in convocations and the appointment of faculty members who do not meet the required qualifications have left both the institution and its students in a state of uncertainty. These allegations warrant a thorough investigation to ensure that the university maintains the high educational standards expected of it.
Action against illegal housing societies: City Mayor Mardan Himayatullah Mayar advocate has requested the Director General National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to take stern action against the owners of illegal housing societies and against those who have converted designated parking places into commercial shops in different parts of Mardan city, it has been learnt.
In his written application to the DG national accountability bureau KPK, Himayatullah Mayar advocate stated that he was going to draw his attention to a serious matter, that like other areas of the country, Mardan was also facing growing establishment of housing societies, wherein, most of the housing societies were illegal and got no NOC from the local authorities and nearly all the housing societies had the mechanism to transfer the plots in their own record and not proper registry/ mutation was executed to transfer the ownership in revenue record.
‘‘Furthermore, this acts also leading to a loss of revenue for the government in tax evasion, causing financial losses to the government,’’ he said, adding that accurate revenue record and ensuring the payment of property taxes was essential for the government’s financial stability and the provision of public services.
He urged the relevant authorities that it was requested to initiate a thorough investigation into that matter to ascertain the extent of tax evasion and any potential corrupt activities associated with the failure to transfer plots into revenue record and to bound all housing societies to carry out proper mutation / registry on purchase of plot as well as only those plot owners might be allowed to construct their plots who approved the maps from TMA Mardan.
Besides, the city mayor Mardan Himayatullah Mayar also requested the quarters concerned that their attention was hereby invited to a pressing issue in Mardan city that several owners of plazas/ commercial buildings had converted designated parking places into commercial shops, violating both traffic regulations and the principles of public space usage and also got huge amounts as premium on these shops.
‘‘Such actions not only inconvenience the general public but also raise concerns about potential corruption of misuse of public places. As your good self knows better that parking places are essential for ensuring smoot flow of traffic as well as facilitation of general public. In this connection, the local authorities i.e. TMA, Mardan also failed to regularize the same as per approved map and policy.
This may cause collusion between the owners and local authorities, results in erode public trust in our local institutions,’’ he said. Mayar also stressed that relevant officials to initiate an immediate action against violators to address the violation and corruption related to the conversion of parking spaces into shops or other business purposes please.
