PESHAWAR: Despite conducting tests and interviews of the short-listed candidates for the post of public relations officer in Swat University, the administration has re-advertised the post, according to sources.

They said that re-advertisement of the post created doubts about the selection process. A year ago, the Swat University had advertised the post for the public relations officer in grade-17 and requirements for the candidates were master degree in mass communication/journalism and three years experience, they added.

The officials and candidates said that applications and other required documents along Rs2,000 bank draft were submitted with the university administration. After five months, the applicants were called by the university administration for appearing in the test, they said. The applicants said that 18 persons appeared in the test and only five of them qualified the test.

They said that the selection committee conducted interviews of the five candidates, who had qualified the test. The administration had assured the five candidates that one out of them would be selected for the post within few days as all the passed candidates had seven to eight years experience in the leading newspapers of the country, they said.

“We are at a loss as to why the university administration re-advertised the position for the public relations officer,” said a candidate, who qualified the test and appeared in the interview before the selection committee.

The entire selection processes was completed and they were waiting for the appointment letter to one of the five short-listed candidates, he said. All of a sudden another advertisement appeared in the newspapers on September 10, 2014.

In the second advertisement the criteria was relaxed, he said. “This time the required experience is one year with master degree in mass communication/journalism,” he said. Similarly, there would be no written test while the applicants were asked to come for interview with a simple application, he said.

“Now the people at the helm of affairs in Swat University administration will accommodate their own person,” the candidate alleged.

Registrar of Swat University Mahboob Khan, when contacted, said that post of public relations officer was re-advertised on the recommendation of the selection committee.

According to the decision of the selection committee, the registrar said, none of the five candidates was fit for the position of PRO. “During the interview, the performance of the candidates was not satisfactory,” Mr Khan said.

However, one of the applicants said that the interview was too simple. He said that the questions asked during the interview could be answered by any student of mass communication.

The candidates demanded of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan to intervene in the matter and appoint the PRO purely on merit.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd , 2014