Acting deans at KU await confirmation

Karachi, Three acting deans at the University of Karachi are awaiting confirmation for the past many months.

Professors Shaheed Nomani, Ghulam Mehdi and Drakhshan Jabeen Haleem of the faculties of Arts, Islamic Studies and Science, respectively, have been working in a limited capacity dealing with “routine matters” only.

A former chairman of the Department of Pharmacology and a member of the KU syndicate, Prof Dr Rafeeq Alam Khan criticised the Governor’s House for what he said “dragging its feet” in taking a decision in this connection.

According to the general practice, the vice chancellor sends names of three senior-most professors to the governor, who also happens to be the chancellor of the university, while they also appoint the senior of the three as acting dean.

Then follows the gruesome wait for the three candidates while the acting dean’s hands are tied in the meantime as they cannot act decisively until a final decision is taken.

This creates an impasse which affects the functioning of the faculty as some teachers do not take the acting dean seriously.

A senior professor in the Arts Faculty, who requested anonymity, criticized the Governor’s House for the inordinate delay in deciding the matter.

“It is disgusting. Years of research and academic rigour are dragged through the mire as the principal secretary to the governor ‘interviews’ a professor,” the senior professor said.

It may be recalled that the dean of Islamic Studies, Prof Jalaluddin Noori, is currently under suspension on charges of plagiarism, and Prof Ghulam Mehdi is holding the charge of the faculty.

Meanwhile, Prof Dr Ghazala Rizwani took charge of the dean of the faculty of pharmacy on Friday from Prof Dr Syed Waseemuddin Ahmed who had completed his three year tenure.