ISLAMABAD: Despite its board of governors’ (BoG) decision made in May last year, International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) has failed to fill the posts of three vice presidents through a competitive process.

The IIUI has been facing financial and administrative issues for the last one year. It has three positions of VPs, which are being looked after by officials who were appointed by the university without any competitive process a few years ago.

However, last year the BoG directed the university to fill two posts of the VPs through a competitive process and seek services of a competent officer from the federal government for the third one.

So far, the university has failed to advertise the positions and get services of a competent officer on deputation from the federal government.

Sources said another meeting held in February this year took notice of the delay and again directed to fill the positions.

In May last year, BoG had directed university to fill posts through competitive process

The sources said some elements in the university were deliberately using delaying tactics in complying with the BoG directive.

The sources said in 2013 Islamabad High Court while hearing a case regarding appointment of the vice president administration, finance and planning had directed the university to fill the post through a competitive process.

The sources said some elements in the university were also using delaying tactics to start a probe against some faculty members whose research papers were either plagarised or below standards. They said following a report, which had alleged massive plagiarism and below standard research papers of some of the faculty members who got promotion and important positions on the basis of these research papers, Professor Khursheed Ahmed, member of the Board of Trustee of IIUI, wrote a letter to the president of Pakistan seeking the probe.

The president wrote a letter to IIUI authorities to probe the matter and fix responsibility. The sources said committees were constituted to linger the matter. However, when the matter was brought into the notice of BoG, it ordered a probe and recently an independent committee of external educationists was formed.

The sources said the committee was yet to hold its first meeting as some officers of the IIUI, holding important positions, were reluctant to cooperate with the committee.

When contacted, IIUI spokesperson Nasir Farid said the university had been taking steps to implement the BoG decisions.

“Soon the position of VPs will be advertised,” he said and added that the process was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Talking about the probe against the faculty members, who allegedly had plagarised or substandard research papers, he said: “The university has zero tolerance policy against plagiarism. A committee of independent educationists has been formed which will soon start its proceedings,” he said.

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2020