ISL AMA BAD: Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training Abdul Nabi Bangash on Tuesday accused the minister of state for education and his team of violating merit in the appointment of the chairman Skill Development Council (SDC), KP.

The chairman of the committee told the participants of a meeting that the federal education ministry had appointed Haji Mohammad Javed as the chairman SDC, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on political basis.

`I say on oath that this is a political appointment,` he said.

The SDC is a government organisation set up to provide technical, vocational education and skill development supposedly in a cost effective manner.

Currently, the federal education ministry is supervising the affairs of four SD Cs one each at Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar.In response to the committee chairman`s allegation, the state minister for education, Engineer Balighur Rehman, said he made the appointment purely on merit as a majority of board members voted for the businessman, Mr Javed.

It may be noted that Mr Bangash had requested the education minister to appoint Senator Rubina Khalid, who was the nominee of the Peshawar Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

After discussing the agenda items, Mr Bangash asked the minister about the appointment of the chairman SDB for KP.

Director General National Training Bureau (NTB) Dr Fayyaz Ahmed Ranja tried to explain the ministry`s point of view but the chairman of the Senate committee accused him of nepotism and didn`t pay any heed to his explanation.

After this, the minister told the committee that he treated everyone, including Senator Rubina Khalid, equally in the race for the chairmanship.Ms Khalid also attended the meeting on the request of the chairman.

The senator said she was requested by the director general National Bureau of Training (NTB) to visit the minister office for giving a presentation.

`I visited the minister office and noticed that officials of the ministry were hands in glove with the members who had the voting right.

It was a preplanned appointment, she alleged.

The chair told the committee members that there were two nominees of the Peshawar chamber of commerce: Senator Rubina and Engineer Noman. But the minister ignored both the names and appointed Mr Javed, who was nominated by an unl
PML-N Senator Chaudhry Jaffar Iqbal and Najma Hameed supported the education minister.

Earlier, the committee reviewedthe performance of the Academy of Educational Planning and Management and the Fatima Jinnah Women University.

Chairman HEC Dr Mukhtar Ahmed briefed the meeting on the establishment of new universities in Balochistan. He said the establishment of a university in Sibi was in progress while the HEC had for the time being shelved the plan to set up universities in tehsil Muslim Bagh, Bolan and Dera Murad Jamali.

The chairman HEC said keeping in view the existing and projected enrollment in these areas, the establishment of universities there was not feasible.

Talking about the establishment of Fata University, he said the HEC had provided initial funding to establish the Project Management Unit (PMU) for salaries, master planningandoperationalexpenses of the project.

He, however, said a dispute among the intelligentsia over the top position had hindered the project.