ISLAMABAD: One of the leading public sector universities of the capital, Comsats has been operating without key functionaries and their absence has been affecting the quality of education and governance.

Comsats University Islamabad (CUI), which became a full-fledged university in 2018 from an institute, is being run without a pro-rector and a registrar while appointment of the current treasurer has also been questioned.

According to CUI Act 2018, the pro-rector is to be appointed by the university Senate and he is to provide support to the rector in planning and execution of assigned functions. The registrar and treasurer are to be appointed by the Senate on the recommendations of the rector for renewable three-year terms, respectively.

However, the university’s Senate – the supreme decision making body - has also been dysfunctional since last year. The delay in making these important appointments and the incomplete Senate has raised eyebrows.

Some officials have alleged that the Senate is kept deliberately dysfunctional by some quarters who want to keep maximum control over university affairs. This charge, however, has been denied by the university.

Varsity still operating without pro-rector, registrar; position of current treasurer also ‘questionable’

The Senate is the highest forum under clause 18 of the CUI charter. Sources said that tenures of all 11 elected members (out of the total 21) have lapsed.

Meanwhile, sources said that the budget worth billions of the university was to be approved by June 22 by the Senate, which is still not approved and expenditure continued.

Similarly, it is said that CUI Rector Prof Dr Mohammad T. Afzal signed a mega contract with a private firm to carry out civil work in the Kot Addu campus.

Registrar Prof Dr Sajjad A. Madani is running the office for the last over four years on a temporary basis and the subcommittee of university Senate in July last year had directed the university to hire a new registrar, but no serious action was taken so far by the rector.

Whereas Treasurer Mohammad Azam was appointed in 2018 for three years when Comsats was an institute, but five years have passed and he is still dealing with finances of the university.

Sources said when Comsats institute was upgraded and it became a university the appointment of the treasurer should have been made in accordance with the Act.

Comsats Additional Registrar Naveed Ahmed Khan provided a detailed response to Dawn’s queries.

Talking about the unapproved budget, he explained: “As per procedure provided in the Act, the budget was recommended by the Finance & Planning Committee and since been endorsed by Syndicate of CUI within the time limit of three months and awaiting a meeting of the Senate for its approval.

Hence, there would be no problem to incur expenditures out of the recommended budget.“ He added that budget of Rs3.2 billion is for seven campuses and head office and will be expended on the attached heads. The budget including “other charges” is approved by the statutory bodies.

Furthermore, he said that the Senate is the approving body of all financial matters. The meeting of the Senate was not conducted due to non-completion of its quorum. He added that appointments of Senate members are under process at the level of Ministry of Science and Technology since the retirement of its members.

However, he said, the budget was presented and approved by a sub-committee of the CUI Senate, which is authorised to grant approval of financial matters on behalf of the Senate.

He said that only those decisions are being taken by the rector that the syndicate had authorised. The treasurer is taking decisions as per powers given by the Act, he said.

The CUI Senate is the body responsible for the governance of the university and the rector or any other officer of the university cannot take decisions on its behalf unless authorised by the Senate.

To a query about the pro-rector, he said the Senate had decided that the hiring will be made on the basis of need and by re-evaluation of the hiring criteria. He said positions of the registrar and pro-rector will be advertised in one advertisement so that the meeting of the search committee could be held only once.

Talking about the questionable charge being held by the treasurer, he said: “The treasurer was appointed on this position in 2017 when it was Comsats Institute and the treasurer’s position was in grade OG-IV.

After approval of the Comsats University Act, this position was converted into a tenured position of three years. As per the Act, no person will be lowered in rank after passing of the Act from parliament.“

About the Kot Addu campus, he said that an engineering consultant has been hired for civil works with the approval of the rector duly authorised by the Syndicate. No work has been undertaken yet and no payment to the consultant has been made, he added.

About ranking of the university, he said that despite financial issues the ranking had improved. Earlier, according to Times Higher Education World Ranking, he said “we were among the 801 to 1,000 best universities of the world and this year we are among the top 601 to 800.”

He urged the government to provide funding to this university on the pattern of other leading universities.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2023