The acting in-charge of Punjab University’s Institute of Communication Studies has alleged mismanagement and administrative irregularities under the previous administration in the admissions to 2012-13 programming.
Dr Noshina Saleem has written a confidential letter to the vice chancellor in this regard (a copy of the letter was made available to The Express Tribune).
Dr Saleem said that merit was violated in the admission process on the recommendations of media people and faculty members of the institute.
Dr Saleem alleged that four students were admitted on recommendations of journalists, one on the recommendation of the university’s public relations officer, one on the recommendation of a zakat officer, two on the recommendation of DGPR officials and one on the recommendation of PU’s Jamiat Tulaba-i-Islam nazim.
Dr Saleem was not asked to review the record. She was also given acting charge after Dr Afeera Hamid refused to work unless given a permanent appointment.
In the two-page letter (reference number D/383-84/ICS) Dr Saleem requested the vice chancellor, “I would appreciate if you very kindly resolve these issues as early as possible so that the institute may be saved from major administrative crises. An early action will be highly appreciated.”
She said that in master’s admissions (2012-13) higher merit candidates were ignored while candidates of lower merit were favoured.
She said one of the students was not only lower down on the merit list but also over the age limit. She added that the institute did not the admission form. She said he had also deposited his fee five weeks after classes had begun.
Highlighting irregularities in MSc programme in development journalism, Dr Saleem said out of 136 students, 34 were given admissions after the commencement of classes long after the admission deadline had passed. She said 14 of these students were given admission on the directions of the director.
She said the director gave admission to at least one student on being approached by the university’s public relations director after the Admission Committee Chairman Dr Liaquat Ai had refused to entertain his application. She alleged that a journalist’s business card was attached to one of the applications.
She said seven were given admission illegally as the signature of only one admission committee member appeared on their forms. She said another had “reference of … Zakat Office” written on his application form. Yet another was given admission with only one signature and the reference of the directorate general of public relations, she alleged.
Dr Saleem said one candidate was given admission with only one member’s signature along with “C/o … , TV Attendant of ICS” written on his forms. Another candidate, she added, was given admission with only one signature and a comment from the public affairs director, “please include”. She added the candidate also had the reference of a journalist.
At least one candidate had the reference of nazim of JUI in ICS, she said. Once was given admission to accommodate a visiting faculty member, who is a former director general of public relations.
One was given admission in violation of the merit on the recommendation of an ICS lecturer.
Saleem also alleged that there were several cases where visiting faculty were given payments in violation of rules. She added that the record of students’ attendance is prepared by clerical staff, who let absentees sit for exams in violation of rules. She also alleged that academic certificates of some students seemed to be fakes.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 5th, 2013.