KIU-VC resigns
By Gohar Abbas
ISLAMABAD: Vice Chancellor of Karakurum International University (KIU) Aziz Ali Najam has resigned from his post. Sources here in the President House revealed that he had directly submitted his resignation letter to the President of Pakistan who holds the post of chancellor of KIU too “but he will continue his job till 31st march” said a source. It is merit to mention that the ex-vice chancellor Dr. Muhammad Azam to had resigned from his post due to the deteriorating condition of the university and loosing hope in the university administration after which Najam was appointed as vice chancellor. It is depressing fact that two founding vice chancellors resigned from their after loosing hope in the university. The consecutive resignation of the founding vice chancellors is a hard to digest fact that the roots of the issue lie somewhere within the region.
This incident, on one hand has revealed that we have not yet attained the mental maturity that is indispensable for a timely and solid development while on the other hand this has given the red signal of “at stake future” to the thousands of students of KIU.
he resigned because he hasnt getting enogh funds to embessel.Dont blame anybody.Theseso called very popular Vcs are always after maney.As youknow the central Government is not in aposition to give KIU enogh funds.
He could have resigned earlier when the Court had given decision against him of istaff who were failed.
To nothing morally justifiable only things mattered VC shahb wads money.
Hakeem
Bad luck for KIU and for the KIU students, for loosing such professional educationist, The president of Pakistan should take serious measures and notice, investigate reasons of his resignation from this new educational institution.
Two absolutly polarized openions are there, irrespective of above mentioned openions,infactuality we need there, a core educational envoirnment, high quality of education process and above all mental maturity, which is still lacking.
Well
In Gilgit or north
Good or bad time will give a call and tell the picture .
Good job if he was in gilgit ,
thanks for every thing,
You do good or bad , people will take you as ……
what ever the reasons, the concerned vc knows it better, but the question mark here is the situation feasible to resign at this juction of point for resignation, because Dr. sb worked with some renown institutions and personally established some of the University in down cities of the country.
two of the very diverget view endorsement are above, personally i m not in a college and before any comments we have to think about the impacts both positive amd negative. Non is perfect in this world merit and demerits creep and grow togather-but the passimist attitude should be encouraged for the comming generations.
What question marks are there, the individuals know it better, we all hope from Gilgit-Baltistan request to the President and priminister to appoint some excetional quality person in place of Dr. sb.
Highups with in the Govt. establishment are also requested, for God sake dont spoil the Institution of education looking through the lences of prejudicion, be above caste creed and sact and think to be a Pakistani and human being.
It appears that KIU VC was not a genuine and committed educationalist, and I sympathise with Hakeem sahip’s view that the VC has actually resigned due to lack of financial resources. All of us know that money is really vital but where there is a will there is a way. As we all know that education system all over the country is in doldrums and the budget allocated for universities has been drastically reduced.
From the testimony of students, parents and other members of the public it can be established that VC sahip was given due honour and respect that he deserved, but I think he spent most of his time on trivial matters. Consider his international trips to various European countries, apparently to raise funds. Anybody could understand that KIU is a public sector institution the fight for resources should be with the government rather than spending huge sums of money, energy and precious time travelling around the world.
Everywhere in the world the real worth of institutions, universities, and organisations is the quality of its people, not its furniture, buildings, or other material things. If KIU was suffering a financial crunch then it was possible to inspire and guide members of the faculty, students and parents and the wider public to be resilient and work even harder. Anyone who is involved in public education knows that there is a difference between sophists of knowledge and Socrates of philosophy. I reckon that our former VC was much impressed and inspired from pre-Socratic sophists than the grand old man of wisdom Socrates himself. Good for the VC in his future endeavours but we now really need someone who wants to guide and lead us in tough and challenging times and who has got the intellectual commitment to help a people who have long been denied their rightful status.
ali al-Hakim
London
FOR this has now become our habit ( the people in the NAs (GB) and as ads-on to of the larger Pakistan), that i) we all start jumping on the bandwagon without getting knowledge of the actual situation or the full story- here let me blame Gohar abbas who shared ‘leaked’ as story and did not bother to check with the university or VC for his version of why he was resigning. ii) while decoding information/message to others, we glamorously add our own tasted flavours; percpetions, distortions, feelings. Here I blame myself and all of us, readers, bloggers etc.etc.
For PT Moderators: It would help all of us if this community of bloggers stick to the rules, etiquettes etc., you have proposed and we have agreed to respect.
About the KIU:
As a regular visitor to the varsity for the last 2-3 years, one can see visible changes happening, a vision and direction is set and plans are rolling to achieve targets, the young university is expanding and consolidating to become relevant to local communities and the mountain context, as against a mindset of a traditional public sector university in Pakistan. Obviously the challenges are enormous and targets to meet gigantic. Getting and developing quality faculty members, strengthening the undergraduate and graduate programs, focusing on research and application of knowledge and reaching out to local communities remain major priorities.
As a nation we look for Massiahs in every leader; political, academic, religious or corporate. Probably the VC was not.
But comparatively speaking, he provided great academic and administrative leadership and has saved the ship before hits the rock.
We can only hope that he is replaced by a more competent academician and administrator who continues the good work and addresses the weaknesses and challenges the university faces.
Amin Beg
VC Dr.Aziz ali najam’s resignation is very bad luck not only for KIu but it is a big loss for society as well.
Dear Ali Al Hakim Sahip,
You have nicely figured out the personality and the struggles of VC Najam Sahb.I respect your point of view.
No doubt VC sahb has did much to make the university a standard education specially in making contacts with the national and international donors. but y .No new depart was opened in Social sceincess and made spendings in extravaganza .
But I ll tell you ,morally VC sahb has lost his job when KIU was defeted in the court against the appointments.
In which court said that all the 60 or so appointments do not meet the criteria ,but the court cant dismiss all of them due to the sufferage of students,therefore those individuals will be dismissed whoare failed in their main subject.But VC sahp sdidnt resigned only for his huge salary
But leaving the institution under your patronage due to MONEY shortage and in fear that your pay in lakhs willnt be any more and you resign.Dear Al hakim my dear friende look at the timing
Its my objective analysis may be I am wrong,please you can guide me.
Hakim
This is a new university and passing through its stages of development, and that is critical, All we need is to have a person who takes good care of it…
Junaid
To none but my own:
Learning about the exit of KIU VC may stun many of our friends but not surprising for me when seen against the backdrop of brewing mess around him. The politics of jobs and subsequent cut placed on funds of higher education by our peoples’ government may be one reason but the miasma surrounding jobbery and organized nepotism, notwithstanding VC’s resistance thereto, were the prime reasons for his ceremonial exit. It is good to note that VC sahip timely realized the looming danger and preferred resignation than becoming a puppet in the hands of sectarian lot.
Poor chap particularly felt discomfort and disgruntled after a local court passed a verdict apparently against KIU’s recruitment process – a setback for him, indeed. He was no saint either and might be susceptible to all kinds of human errors. The very cronies, who had surrounded him during his incumbency, now seem reluctant to raise a voice for his return or withdrawal of his resignation.
Let me admit that iIt is our favourite fashion to welcome newcomers and smack them after their departure which may be due to our colonial political patterns and conditioning that will sustain and thrive so long as we stand divided on various lines including professional lines.
He took unnecessary pains in foisting ‘enlightenment’ at the campus without realizing the inherent resistants of tribalism, cultural suffocation, gender sensitivities, and above all his lack of fitness in the thriviing sectarian enterprise of a society which is in the throes of bumpy transition when viewed in the wake of ruthless globalization.
Dr Najm made many critics if not opponents when he based campus activities on the lines of a flamboyant tuition center and spent much ofhis time, resources and energies on building getups of students and his academia than improving overall academic outlook or for that matter achieving academic excellence. No labs, no research and hence no papers which together defy the raison d’etre of KIU when it fails to enrich society with new and useful knowledge! USBs, laptops, presentations multimedia and shining gowns (all cosmetics) may be means but not goals.
His spending of Rs7.000 million on decoration of ‘Musharraf Hall’ was a tip of iceberg but being an academician, it was find no place in his scheme of priorities to build a state-of-the-art library. Naming a varsity auditorium after Musharraf might be his pragmatism aimed at milking the incumbent government at that time but the decision was, nonetheless, received in bad taste.
One can suspect that a retired ‘academician’ preferably from army will be replacing him. I leave this question to elicit more comments as to who is threatened by educational institutions and higher education.
Durbeesh
Dear Durbeesh,
Your hint towards a retired Amy academician seems true.We as people of North should struggle for Brig Hassamulah Baig.Bec he is very talented as well as dy namic person.
hakim
Before putting my comments I would like to ask myself what is the level of my knowledge about the historical developments in terms of academic and structural context that the KIU has gone through since its inception to the point when recently we heard regarding the resignation of Dr. Najam. A very much sketchy scenario and much of that based on a presentation that Dr.Najam had delivered in a meeting in London. Quite frankly he seemed to be a committed academic administrator and I haven’t had the opportunity to be familiar with his scholarly depth though I felt he was an admirer of Muhammad Iqbal.
I appreciate the information that has been provided by Amin Beg and I would give much weight to what he says. It is because what he has written proves that he writes what he knows as he mentioned his 1-2 years of a close working relationship with the University and more Amin Beg is based in Gilgit as an educated observer.
What rest of us have put are our impressive views without contextual knowledge, if anyone know same as Aming beg or more than him, we didn’t prove it in our comments. An important question we should ask, why the critics who have pointed today the weaknesses of the Dr.Najam haven’t done when he was in position as VC and going through all their mentioned misdeeds. Does it make any good today, although it may do some good for the one who will replace Dr.Najam but have lost the chance to make any possible corrections at times when things were may be going wrong.
Here I don’t mean any think to defend Dr.Najam as I don’t know enough regarding what he has done as a VC to defend or criticize his action but it would be good for all of us to add substance with subsistence and reliable information. To make the discussion more meaningful I will voice along with Amin Beg to know the views of Dr.Najam regarding his resignation that will help us all to put it in context our thought for future course of action in meaningful way.
Abbas Ali
Deqr Abbas Ali Sahip,
When The Ex Honourable VC comit corruption in hiring teaching staff,Its on th record that court had made all that process as should be nullified but added that the all hired lecturers could not be fird only 10 who were severly failed to meet the criterie i.e failed in their own main subject.And Muhtaram VC sahab never accepted this decision although he hired one of the most expensive lawzers Mr Nayar Bukhari paying him in millions per apperance.
Every body tried to stop him and there was a movemnet but he was so reluctant that didnt resign
hakim
Bad luck for the KIU students, not only for for loosing such professional educationist, but the thing is who can understand the problem of the students also..
its really shocked for the students wheather they are new or Old,
finally i can say that l myself agree with Mr Aminbeg who shares the fact with the PtT readers ..
thank you !
Without entering into an alliance with him, one may agree with Amin Beg when speaking in the strict sense of media reporting that simultaneously requires the version of affected party so to strike a balance in reporting as information retrieved even from the horse’s mouth may sometimes get tinged with personal bias. And that is how big media organizations in Pakistan tend to setup situation rooms to cover diversified versions particularly during turmoil. But his exit is not a matter of ‘leaking blueprints about nukes’ and thus requires no extreme caution. Exit of VCs and DCs is routine in Pakistan and comments can be made on media portal without going into specifications. My previous post was based on formal and informal discussions of VC Sahip made in public and private meetings and once he publicly complained to Musharraf during KIU convocation in 2006 about the growing pressure on him regarding the recruitment and his subsequent complaint with the then federal minister Saleem Saifullah Khan who came to KIU convocation in 2007. Even the worthy VC may not be able to share the threats posed to him by various quarters and therefore can’t be placed at this site and very much agreed with Al-Hakim for what he described about VC.
Yes, sparing babies, almost all the able adults of GB know the “the historical developments in terms of academic and structural context” of KIU which has no decades melted behind it but was set up by former secreatry education in 2002 to win for himself the slot of KIU VC after retirement due to his proximity with the then federal education minister Zobaida Jalal.
The context was simple and to open departments of minerology, tourism, food processing, environmental studies with a view to harness the local potential in these fields but it fared like a dream gone sour. As far concept it was to attract foreign students and faculty members to turn this campus into a higher seat of learning in Central Asia and to open avenues of research in the moutainous regions. Even if not satisfied, one may pick out the PC-1 of KIU stashed in NA education deaprtment to see for themselves.
So it is unnecssary to deviate from the topic taking shelter behind sober people and using vulgar jargons as have been put in the inverted commas in the preceding lines which is nothing but naked show-off and cheap publicity stunt from the foreign landers. Many of us are sick of hearing these repeated sermons from the narcissits living abroad that might be a proclamation of their inability to mend their fences.
Durbeesh
Afsoos:
Thank you mr aamir hussain/Azizalidad (take some mercy on Durbeesh Ali please) for bringing angry issues against Brushsaski speaking Hunza contributors. you may build a political party to promote your cause or open a your own website to show your anger.
Karim Barcha
hmarey elakey k liey nihayat bura hoa hai v.c sb ne kafi struggle kiya tha develop karney k liyey magar inhey moqa nay diya giya.