May 18, 2008	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 12, 1429

PESHAWAR, May 17: As the search committee is expected to meet on Monday to scrutinise the list of about 50 aspiring candidates for the vice-chancellorship of the newly-registered Islamia College University, teachers’ political groups backing their candidates have become active.

However, teachers claiming impartiality observed that no candidate backed by these political groups should be considered for the post of VC as it would give a bad academic start to the new university in the provincial capital.

The teachers -- affiliated to the Progressive, Tanzeem-i-Asatiza and Friends -- have become active as ‘pressure groups’ in Peshawar, sources said.

The groups had started spreading ‘distorted facts’ about the Islamia College University and those candidates who belong to no political groups in order to build pressure, said a senior teacher. He criticised these groups for their ‘negative’ role in academic institutions.

Once the VC is appointed by the chancellor, NWFP governor, the Islamia College University would start functioning as a full-fledge university but political influence on appointments of the VC and other administrative posts would give a bad start for the university.

“The involvement of teachers affiliated with political groups harmed the academic performance of the institution. We want a VC who is appointed on merit not due to political pressure from these groups,” opined a senior teacher at the historic Islamia College Peshawar and many others expressed similar views.

The Alumni of Islamia College has worked for the upgradation of the college to university and NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani had supported it but these political groups active lobbying for their candidates would not let the institution grow due to their petty politics, said teachers who claimed that they had no association with any political group, and they were facing problems in their professional careers.

“My selection on a professor post kept lingering on for three years despite the fact that my case went to the scrutiny committee six times and I was selected. My fault was that I was not affiliated to any of the teacher’s political groups and another candidate belonged to one such group,” said a professor at the Islamia College.

Teachers, who were enthusiastically waiting for the appointment of the VC so that the Islamia College University could start functioning, said that the huge college building should be used for academic activities so that teachers find no time for politics. “All day, I have only one class and I feel ashamed when I enter this historic college as I am not utilising my time in teaching,” said a teacher who wished the new VC would be appointed soon so that the next academic session, starting in September, would not be ‘so boring’.

“Teachers’ politics is like a termite which is damaging the very core of this historic institution and even the University of Peshawar,” a teacher observed. Senior teachers said that the faculty was drawing huge salaries and taking part in politics than academic activities. Political interference should not be allowed in educational institutions’ affairs.

The Islamia College was notified as a university on March 20 this year and was registered by the Higher Education Commission recently. The college has 130 faculty members including 30 PhDs and the number of students would be increased from 3,357 to 5,000 once it starts functioning as a university.