PESHAWAR: University of Peshawar has financially sunk owing to illegal or irregular appointments of 2,756 employees during the past one decade and lavish expenditures, including payment of several kinds of allowances to unauthorised staffers, according to the report of a high level inquiry committee.

The cash-strapped UoP has currently been facing Rs1 billion budget deficit due to its excessive expenditure. The 63-page inquiry report, prepared by Provincial Inspection Team (PIT), has established that the UoP administration has been paying huge amount every year to its employees in different heads for which they are not entitled.

Out of the 2,756 appointments, the UoP created 1,451 extra posts for administrative and ministerial staff in violation of the criteria of Higher Education Commission, while it recruited 1,305 employees without proper creation of posts and in excess of sanctioned strength of posts, says the report.

The PIT has also detected giving unauthorised financial benefits to the university employees in shape of orderly allowance; MS, MPhil, PhD allowance; conveyance allowance during vacation; POL charges; medical allowance; extra duty allowance; honorarium; house requisition and house subsidy; and residential telephone facility to employees not performing administrative jobs etc.

Probe panel urges govt to refer the matter to NAB

The committee has recommended to the provincial government that the matter may be referred to National Accountability Bureau for action against the responsible authorities for the illegal, irregular and unjustified acts.

The university administration during the process of inquiry denied providing requisite information to PIT regarding the appointments and awarding illegitimate allowances to the employees.

The inquiry report states that from July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2018, the UoP recruited 2,085 employees of various cadres and 1,305 of were over and above their sanctioned budget strength.

“During the instant probe, UoP was time and again asked verbally as well as in writing to justify that the relevant posts were properly sanctioned in the budget along with justification for creation of posts and also confirm their vacancy at the time of recruitments, but it failed to do so,” states the report.

The university administration also didn’t justify the procedure for recruitment process like advertisement of posts, scrutiny of documents as per eligibility criteria, screening tests, short-listing of candidates, interview, meeting of selection boards/ committee and merit list etc.

In its findings, the PIT revealed that the university administration allocated Rs121 million for the current year for contingent paid staff/daily wages despite the presence of 1,305 over and above staff. Similarly, it allocated Rs1,38.87 million for contingent paid staff/daily wagers in the financial year 2018-19 besides an allocation of Rs6.93 million for extra duty staff.

The PIT observed that the UoP administration followed the federal law regarding pension instead of provincial law having huge financial impact on the university’s budget.

As per policy of the provincial government, states the report, orderly allowance is allowed only to officers in BS-20 and above working in the civil secretariat and not to any offices like district health offices, principals, college professors and chief engineers etc. But contrary to the policy, the UoP has allowed orderly allowances to all its employees in BS-20 and above having annual financial impact of Rs34.4 million for the financial year 2020-21.

Besides, the pre-retirement orderly allowance has also been granted to the retired officers in BS-20 and above of the university that put financial impact of Rs30 million on the UoP during the financial year 2020-21. “The total financial impact of orderly allowance is Rs64.48 million during financial year 2020-21,” states the report.

The inspection team in its report has also declared payment of MS, MPhil and PhD allowances as unjustified which the UoP administration pays in millions every year. For the current year, the UoP has allocated Rs40.62 million in the head of MS, MPhil and PhD allowances.

The UoP administration has also been giving conveyance and computer allowance to its teachers in violation of the provincial government’s policies.

The report also states that an amount of Rs5 million has been paid illegally and unjustifiably as honorarium in financial year 2019-20. The UoP has allowed residential telephone/mobile phone facility to its employees other than administrative staff which is unjustified and against the policy of the provincial government.

The university administration, syndicate and senate are responsible to create a balance between the receipts and expenditures of the university but they have failed to do so, the report states.

In its recommendations, the PIT states that the issue of budget deficit can only be resolved by immediately taking some hard steps to get rid of the 2,756 irregular/illegal appointments after completing all codal formalities and no additional funds may be provided to the university till resolution of this matter.

Keeping in view the present weak financial status of UoP, it is strongly recommended to immediately discontinue the allowances to unauthorised employees that will enable the university to save about Rs402.64 million.

It states that the government may also look into suitability of necessary amendments to KP Universities Act, 2012 and statutes of all the public sector universities regarding posting of officers of provincial government as vice-chancellors, registrars, treasurers etc because they have better know-how of the establishment and financial rules, managerial skills and experience in dealing with government entities.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2020