ISLAMABAD (Khyber Mail): The Chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) is facing allegations of deceiving parliamentary committees and university teachers. The accusation comes in the wake of a sit-in protest by the All Public Universities BPS Teachers Association (APUBTA) outside the HEC head office, raising concerns in the Senate.
PML-N Senator Sadia Abbasi highlighted the issue, stating that despite directives issued several months ago by the Senate standing committee to approve a promotion policy for university teachers, no progress had been made.
The matter has now been referred to the standing committee for further action.
- Details:
- APUBTA staged a sit-in protest, drawing attention to the lack of progress in the approval of a promotion policy for university teachers.
- Senator Sadia Abbasi raised the issue in the Senate, expressing dissatisfaction with the HEC Chairman’s failure to implement committee directives.
- The Senate Chairman, Sadiq Sanjrani, referred the matter to the standing committee for examination.
- The dispute revolves around the approval of a promotion policy and service structure for BPS university teachers.
- Despite directives from standing committees in August 2023, January 2023, and February 2023, the HEC Chairman allegedly defied the orders.
- A new committee’s sudden constitution, with a backdated notification, has sparked controversy, raising questions about its legitimacy.
- The new committee’s Terms of Reference (TORs) suggest a restart of the policy drafting process, causing concern among university teachers.
- HEC’s commitment to placing the already agreed-upon draft promotion policy before the commission has been called into question.
- APUBTA accuses Chairman HEC of either incompetence, confusion, or a lack of seriousness in resolving the issue.
The Senate Standing Committee is expected to discuss the matter in its upcoming meeting, and APUBTA believes that Chairman HEC’s actions are deceptive and not aimed at a genuine resolution.