KARACHI, Oct 19: A recent Sindh government notification appointing Syed Ghulam Mujtuba Shah chairman of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Sukkur has created confusion as it is silent about the status of incumbent chairman Ali Shah Bukhari.

Mr Bukhari was appointed chairman of the board, a tenure post, for three years in May this year. Through the notification, the Sindh government transferred Mr Shah, the board's secretary, and posted him as chairman.

It is the first major change made in any educational board of Sindh since they have been placed under the control of the Sindh chief minister, instead of the provincial governor.

Terming the elevation of Mr Shah, who is said to be a younger brother of Federal Minister Khurshid Shah, a political move, sources in the education department said that the notification to this effect, issued by the Sindh chief secretary on the directives of the CM, did not mention anything about the status of incumbent chairman Bukhari although it was a tenure post.

Referring to the notification which inter alia said: “Syed Ghulam Mujtuba Shah, Secretary Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Sukkur, is hereby transferred and posted as Chairman BISE, Sukkur, in his own pay and scale till further orders,” the sources said that every educational board was established under the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (Establishment and Control) Act, 1973 which ensures the continuity of the chairmen for the given tenure.

According to them, Mr Shah was a grade 18 officer and he was recently promoted to grade 19 whereas the post of the board's chairman post was of grade 20.

They were of the view that since it was a three-year tenure post and those holding this post could not be removed before the expiry of their given period unless they were found guilty of serious charges of corruption if levelled against them.

They apprehended that the image of educational boards would be adversely affected if people posted against tenure posts were removed prior to the completion of their stipulated term of office.