ISLAMABAD: It will take many more months before the Higher Education Commission (HEC) gets an executive director (ED) as the three names shorlisted by a committee have all been rejected.

Besides, the HEC`s proposal of having its own testing services to conduct tests for students aspiring admission to MPhil, MS and PhD programmes has also been turned down.

The commission, set up to oversee matters of the HEC, took these decision during a meeting held here on Wednesday.

In its 30th meeting, the commission rejected the three names shorlisted for the post of ED. These names had been placed before the body by HEC Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed.

The commission directed that the post should be re-advertised, raising questions over the efficiency of the selection board/ search committee which had selected the three candidates out of 49 who had applied for the position after a grueling process of sev-eral months.

The post of executive director has been lying vacant since April 15, 2014 when the then ED, Dr Ahmed, took over as the HEC chairman.

`The ED is an important portfolio which looks after higher education in the country, so the commission directed us to go for re-advertisement so that maximum number of candidates can apply,` Dr Ahmed told Dawn.

He said in the last advertisement, the maximum age limit had been set at 55 years. This time the HEC would increase the age limit.

The executive director manages over Rs60 billion budget of the HEC and is responsible for taking key decisions that directly impact the status of higher education.

At present Dr Mansoor Kundi, who has been serving the HEC as member academic on deputation, officiates as the executive director.

In September last year, the commission, in its 29th meeting, had directed that the post of ED be advertised.

The position was then advertised following which 49 academicians applied. Out of these nine were called for interviews.

`Wednesday`s meeting observed that keeping in view the importance of the position (ED), experience and professional credentials of the applicants were not commensurate with the record of leader-ship profile and eminence essential for the post of the stature of executive director HEC,` said a spokesperson for the HEC.

Regarding the issue of setting up a testing body, the commission directed the HEC to re-advertise and invite an appropriate local or international testing service provider.

Meanwhile, it was recommended that a consortium of top universities one from each province be constituted to devise and conduct tests required for admission to MPhil/MS/PhD programmes as well as for HEC scholarships.

Recently, HEC had decided to set up its own testing body.

While discussing the budget matter, HEC Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed told the commission that the higher education body had achieved all its targets.

Talking to Dawn about the establishment of skill university project, Technology Park and few other pending projects, the chairman said: `All major targets in the current fiscal year have been achieved.

As far as the pending projects are concerned, the progress is being made,` he said.

Earlier, the commission also agreed that degrees of University of East (Sindh) would be validated till January 1, 2011 as per its decision taken in the 24th meeting on November 30, 2010.

Those degrees issued after 2011will not be considered valid.

The meeting also recommended new names for the HEC commission`s pending member positions.

These names would be forwarded to the prime minister for approval.

A 25 per cent increase in `Tenure Track Pay Package` for universities` faculty members was also discussed and endorsed by the commission which will be forwarded to the Finance Division for consideration.

The commission appreciated the HEC for issuing universities` rankings, saying that it would spur competition among degree-awarding institutions.

The meeting was headed by the HEC chairman and attended by Secretary Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training Mohammad Imtiaz Tajwar, Secretary Ministry of Science and Technology Kamran Ali Qureshi, Secretary Higher Education Department, Punjab, Irum Bokhari, Secretary Secondary Education Department, Balochistan, Abdul Saboor Kakar, former VC Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur Dr Nilofer Shaikh, VC University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, Engineer Syed Imtiaz Hussain Gillani, VC Balochistan Engineer Ahmad Farooq Bazai, and acting ED, HEC,Dr Mansoor Akbar Kundi.