ISLAMABAD, May 2: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has frozen development funds of three leading universities of Sindh for not adhering to the commission’s criteria in appointments and promotions of their faculty, officials told Dawn.

The grants of Sindh University, Jamshoro, NED University of Engineering and Technology and Karachi University have been “frozen” by the HEC following their blatant disregard of the commission’s rules and regulations for eligibility of teachers’ appointments and promotions, they said.

HEC chairman Dr Attaur Rahman has issued directives for suspension of development grants of the concerned universities until reversal or cancellation of such decisions for appointment and promotion of the teaching faculty, in accordance with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz’s instructions.

In a recently held meeting, the prime minister had directed Dr Rahman to suspend funding of substandard universities and those violating prescribed governance rules.

Sindh University, Jamshoro, had decided to appoint five faculty members to the position of professor, despite the fact that they did not fulfil the eligibility criteria for such appointments.

NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, in its recent Selection Board had awarded BPS-21 to faculty members, in violation of HEC rules and regulations, despite the fact that a note of dissent had been submitted by the HEC’s nominee about the matter.

The University of Karachi had promoted 18 non-PhD teachers to the level of associate professor and professor against the recommendation of its own selection board and in violation of HEC eligibility criteria.

The University of Sindh not only violated the HEC’s eligibility criteria for appointment, but its syndicate meeting approved amendments in its rules put forward by HEC and also suggested that these amended rules be implemented by placing them before the university’s Senate, the sources said.

The proposal for postponement for adopting the HEC’s criteria for posts of assistant professor, associate professor and professor ranges from three to five years.

Taking strict note of such irregularities, the HEC chairman has written to the Sindh governor about such appointments in the universities and asked him to use its influence as chancellor to reverse or cancel their decisions regarding promotions and appointments of teaching faculty.

If the said universities continue with the same practice, their recurring grants are likely to be cut, official sources said.