ISLAMABAD: Nine key posts of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), including that of the executive director and member operations, have remained vacant for several months and ad hoc methods are being used to fill the gap.

The HEC has the important responsibility of overseeing higher education institutions but does not have qualified staff members in key posts and no visible steps are apparently being taken to fill the vacancies.

HEC Chairman denied that there is shortage of senior officers and said that posts are either being manned by officers on deputation from other departments or senior staff members at the HEC.

“Appointments for remaining posts are being made,” he said.

On the other hand, according to sources the post of the executive director has been vacant since April 15, 2014 when Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, who was holding the post, took charge as chairman.

Dr Mansoor Kundi, who was already in the HEC on deputation from the University of Engineering Peshawar, is holding the office of Member Academic and was given charge of this office which is considered to be the most important as it oversees financial matters.

The HEC chairman explained that the process for appointing a permanent executive director is in progress.

“Candidates were interviewed and shortlisted but when the list was presented to the commission, the supreme decision making body, we were directed to advertise for the post again,” he said.

“Efforts are being made to appoint a permanent executive director,” Dr Ahmed said.

A senior official in the HEC, requesting anonymity, said four positions of directors, including directors academic, quality assurance, monitoring and evaluation and coordination are also vacant. In November, tests were taken by candidates for the positions under the National Testing Service (NTS) but the successful candidates were never contacted.

Additionally, he said, almost all departments are short on staff. “Most departments are working with only half the positions filled,” the official said.

Another important position of adviser quality assurance became vacant after Dr Riaz Qureshi retired two years ago.

An official on deputation, Dr Iftikar Ahmed, was given the office as a consultant for bringing improvement in public and private sector universities.

According to sources, the vacancy of adviser human resource development has not been filled for the last two years while the posts of adviser finance, managing director quality assurance, adviser planning and monitoring, director general research and development and director learning Innovation have also been vacant for the last several months.

All these are important positions and delay in filling them is likely to have a negative impact on the performance of the commission, responsible for overseeing affairs of 170 universities of the country.

HEC spokesperson Ayesha Ikram told Dawn that among these posts, four have been advertised while interviews of candidates the post for executive director have been conducted.

“Candidates for a post of a member and two advisers have been shortlisted and the decision of the selection board is awaited”.

In response to a question, she said the remaining four posts are yet to be advertised and the work of the vacant offices is being managed by the incumbent advisers and directors general.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2015

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