Governance: TEVTA still without chairman

The post has been looked after by additional charge officers following Arif Saeed’s resignation in February 2013.

The government had invited applications for the post (MP-I Scale on contract basis) in April 2013.

A four-member committee including the industries secretary, the regulation (S&GAD) secretary, a businessman and a retired bureaucrat was constituted by the chief minister’s secretariat in October 2013 to interview the shortlisted candidates.

“Thirty interviews were conducted and the selected candidates were referred to the chief minister… but recruitment was not finalised,” a TEVTA official speaking on the condition of anonymity told The Express Tribune.

Industries Secretary Irfan Ali, who has had the additional charge of TEVTA chairman since February 2013, told The Express Tribune that it was up to the government to appoint a new chairman for the authority.

“I will look after TEVTA until then,” he said.

Ali said the authority was taking long-term initiatives such as the German-Pak Training Initiative to provide quality training to the students.

“The authority is updating its curriculum and has also framed new standing operating procedures for development and purchase of equipment,” he added.

Jawad Quershi, an Office Management Group officer in BS-19 working as TEVTA chief operating officer, also holds the additional charge of Punjab Board of Technical Education chairperson.

TEVTA was established in 1999 to enhance global competitiveness through a quality workforce by developing demand-driven, standardised, dynamic and integrated technical education and vocational training service.

The authority has had six chairpersons so far. Industrialists Sikandar Mustafa, Arif Saeed and Moshin Sayed, two retired bureaucrats Yousaf Kamal and Khalid Mehmood, and a government official Saeed Alvi have served as TEVTA chairmen.

Tevta operates more than 370 institutions including technical colleges and commercial and vocational training institutions in the province. It also offers a degree programme, an associate engineering diploma and some 50 certificates to convert raw manpower to skilled.

The government has allocated a Rs1.5 billion development budget for the TEVTA this year.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 28^th, 2014.