University of Balochistan Recruitment Crisis

Aziz Ejaz

After conducting tests of some vacant positions of the lecturers in beginning of 2015, for different departments, now University of Balochistan (UOB) repeatedly delaying the dates of interview which create a perturbing situation for the students who have been declared successful by National Testing Service (NTS).

In the mid of 2014, from the first time after 2008, UOB announced the positions via NTS to recruit lectures of different subjects. This move was admired by the students and considered a step towards fair and transparent selection of the talented aspirants.

Students who appeared in the tests were thousands in number, which testified that how much interested the aspirants, are in restoration of merit in the only higher institute of the entire province. This was reiterated many times by the Vice Chancellor of UOB Professor Javed Iqbal that there isn’t any room for political intervention in selection procedures.

The tests were conducted on 21st February this year. After the announcement of the qualified students list the administration was able to interview just three departments from the twenty five which were the faculty of pharmacy, Education and History. From them the final list of the History department is still pending.

UOB was blamed for nepotism and favoritism at the time when a sit-in initiated by the student organizations namely; Baloch Student’s Organization (BSO), Baloch Student’s Organization (Pajjar) Student’s Action Committee and Pashtun Student’s Federation (Azad). They rejected the whole procedure of the selection and lastly settled for a fact finding committee to look into the issue.

All the organizations jointly marched to the provincial assembly and met with Chief Minister Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch, who assured them for solving the problem. However, UOB has not showed any signs of progress. Now again the students organizations have decided to come forward to record a demonstration against University administration, which according to them, is deliberately delaying the interviews to hide their failures and incapability.

Teaching, as a profession, needs outstanding and sound individuals who should be good at their subjects. If transparent recruitment system is not followed then UOB may degrade its image into much lower rank. All the tall claims and promises of the UOB and Provincial Government seem to be just empty promises.

UOB needs to be much conscious about this matter and should reconcile the burning issue and reinitiate the interviewing panel’s procedure to let it be concluded.

Published in The Balochistan Point on September 3, 2015

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article are those of the author and The Balochistan Point not necessarily agrees with them.