PESHAWAR:
For the first time in the history of the University of Peshawar, the vice chancellor has appointed a junior faculty member as chairperson of the Journalism and Mass Communication Department. It is also unprecedented that the charge of a chairperson has gone to someone from outside the department.
The, VC while using his power under the Universities Act, appointed 17 department chairpersons, while also extending tenures.
Among these was the recent appointment of the chairperson for the Journalism and Mass Communication. He was transferred from the Institute of Management Studies just a day earlier, and immediately appointed chairperson.
This unprecedented decision bypassed established rules and deprived senior faculty members of their rightful promotions.
Similarly the chairpersons of Gender Study, International Relations, Khyber Law Collage, Pashto, and other departments were appointed for third and fourth terms while ignoring the previous chairperson of the Journalism And Mass Communication Department.
As per university policy, the vice chancellor’s office will either extend their terms or appoint the most senior faculty members as replacements. However, these protocols were ignored.
In another controversial move, the VC appointed the International Relations (IR) chairperson as the sitting head was on probation. In this appointment as well, senior faculty members from the department were ignored.
This pattern of sidelining seniority and established procedures was also observed in other departments.
As per university regulations, the VC is supposed to consult the outgoing chairperson or conduct interviews with three senior faculty members to determine the most suitable candidate.
