PESHAWAR, March 3: Inordinate delay in the appointment of the principal of the Khyber Medical College (KMC) is creating hurdles in the smooth running of the academic process, senior doctors told Dawn.

The post had fallen vacant after the retirement of Prof Dr Khalid Attaullah Mufti on Dec 30 last year. According to a source, names of three senior-most professors -Dr Omar Ali Khan, Dr Fazal Ahmad and Abdul Wadood - were under consideration for the job and a final decision would be taken by Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani.

"Two months have passed but the chief minister is yet to take a decision. The delay is causing numerous problems for the college administration," a source at the KMC, said.

Routine administrative and academic affairs were being looked after by acting principal Prof Dr Fazal Ahmad, but he could not take decisions on policy matters or on issues of vital importance. Giving a stance, sources said there had been no meeting of the academic council since long despite the fact the council was bound to meet every month and take decisions on key issues.

Likewise, they said there were other issues, such as the launching of work on a separate campus for girls which needed appointment of a permanent principal. The sources said the issue of upgrading the KMC to a medical university also needed a regular principal to pursue the matter.

They said President Pervez Musharraf had written a letter to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) regarding the KMC upgradation, but in the absence of a regular principal it was difficult for an ad hoc principal to pursue the matter.

"We need a regular principal to take up the upgrade issue with the NWFP governor and the HEC, but the process is yet to be initiated," the sources added. Moreover, issues related to the college admission process also necessitated appointment of a regular principal without delay.

Senior teachers of the KMC have also expressed concern over the criterion adopted by the government for the appointment of principal. They have called for a review of the criterion which had been followed in the past for filling the post.

A senior college teacher said the criterion was flawed and had enabled some of the teachers in the past to use influence and get the post. "Those who got appointed through the official backing in the past had to oblige the government and carry out unlawful orders came from the people at the top," he stated. There were instances that many students were given admission in violation of the rule of merit, he added.

According to the procedure for the appointment of principal, a candidate was selected on the basis of seniority-cum-competence, which was a vague method, he said. "There was no yardstick available with government to measure the competence of a professor, he added.

"This can be done in consultation with faculty members," a professor said, adding that some professors reached BPS-20 in less time like 10 to 15 years because of the availability of posts in their department.

"However, some other doctors attained the post of professor after 20 years because of the non-availability of the post in their department." But the government considers those for the post of principal who take less number of years to become professors," said an office-bearer of the KMC Teachers' Association. Teachers said that a principal should be appointed at least for two years so that he could take long-term decisions.