ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has given its executive director (ED), Dr. Shaista Sohail, yet another extension, and the Establishment Division has officially announced that Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed has been as the next chairman of the HEC.
On Monday, the new HEC chairman will start working again (today).
The commission has given approval to extend Dr. Shaista Sohail’s appointment as Executive Director HEC on a contract basis for a period of six months beginning on August 1, 2022, or until the appointment of a regular Executive Director, whichever is earlier, according to a notification issued by the HEC on July 29.
Dr. Sohail was a public official who joined the HEC in October 2020 on a temporary basis before leaving the company in August 2021 when he reached the age of superannuation.
Since then, she has held the position of ED on a provisional and contractual basis because the organisation that regulates higher education does not have a permanent ED.
As a result of Dr. Arshad Ali’s resignation in October 2018, the position of the regular ED—who also serves as the chief accounting officer—became vacant.Following his departure, the HEC placed four job advertisements, but according to representatives of the commission’s regulating body, it was unable to locate a qualified applicant.
In the fourth attempt, which took place in February of this year, the HEC finalised a list of candidates for the position through a contentious selection board, but the federal government and the ministry of education refused to support the selection board’s meeting.
“Now that the HEC has a new chairman, we will soon begin the process of selecting a new ED. According to a HEC official, Dr. Shaista, who has been doing an excellent job, will continue to be the ED.
