PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Sector Universities Administrative Officers Association has urged Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra and caretaker Chief Minister retired Justice Dost Mohammad Khan to take notice of the teachers working on the administrative positions in the public sector universities in violation of the KP Universities Act, 2012.

The association in a statement issued here said that most of the varsities had been violating section 17-A of the law and had posted teachers on administrative positions.

According to section 17-A, no teacher and employees other than administrative officers can be posted on the administrative positions.

However, to favour certain faction the teachers and other non-administrative officers have been posted on the administrative positions in violation of the law, it said, adding that because of this the academic performance of many departments and sections had been compromised.

The Association’s president Mohammad Ilyas said that if the teachers were interested in getting administrative positions they should forgo their teaching assignments and get appointed on these positions through advertisement as prescribed in the act.

He said that varsities were having serious academic and governance issues and the government should not allow a few individuals to violate the law.

Mr Ilyas argued that some varsities were wrongly interpreting the act and justifying the posting of teachers on administrative positions.

He said that the administrative officers were given representation in the university authorities i. e. syndicate and senate, but most of the universities were reluctant to hold their elections.

He said that the promotion of administrative officers had long been awaited in most of the universities and the process on the same shall be completed immediately.

The association has urged the government to take notice of the violations being committed by the universities.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2018