‘Influential’ employees get deputation of BISE’s audit officer cancelled

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Elementary and Secondary Education Department, allegedly under pressure from some influential employees in the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Peshawar, cancelled the two-year deputation of audit officer Tauheedullah Jan and repatriated him to his parent department, Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Islamabad.Simultaneously, some fake reports were fed to media that the said official had been holding the office illegally after the expiry of his three-year tenure. When investigated, the story was completely different. The News has acquired all the relevant documents of the case.According to the documents, Tauheedullah Jan initially joined the board on January 1, 2016 as audit officer on three-year deputation, which was extendable for another two years. The deputation expired on December 31, 2018.As the board officials were satisfied with the work of the said official, the secretary of the board wrote a letter to secretary Elementary and Secondary Education to seek extension in his deputation for another two years from the CGA on December 2, 2018 several weeks prior to the expiry of his three-year deputation.In pursuance of the letter dated December 3, 2018, the Education Department sent a request to the CGA on December 15, 2018, which stated: “It is requested that the deputation period of Tauheedullah Jan, assistant accounts officer (BS-17), may please be extended for further two years. An early action will be highly appreciated.”The CGA sought the necessary information for making decision on the request through a letter dated January 11, 2019.The information was provided on February 7, 2019, but instead of waiting for the final approval from the CGA, the Education Department through a letter on February 15 asked the acting chairman of the board to immediately relieve the officer.According to the documents, the board authorities issued relieving order of the officer concerned on February 20.The sources said the CGA had already granted approval to extend the officer’s deputation, but the Education department got him repatriated. Interestingly, several days after asking the board to repatriate the official, the Education department sent a reminder to the CGA to renew the deputation of the officer, which seemed totally absurd and contradictory.When reached for comments, acting chairman of the Peshawar board Bashir Khan told The News that it was true that the deputation of Tauheedullah Jan had expired on December 31, 2018.He said they asked the department to get his deputation extended as they were in dire need of an audit officer in the board and the officer concerned was honest and competent.The department, according to him, made necessary correspondence with the CGA for extension of the deputation. He said some information was sought from the board which was provided and by the time the CGA approved the extension the department decided to repatriate him.The acting chairman said that transactions of millions of rupees are made in the board on a daily basis and for the purpose they urgently needed an audit officer.It was learnt that development works worth Rs420 millions are in progress in the board and this needs proper audit.Four education boards in the province have been functioning without a regular chairman since February 6.The schedule for the secondary school certificate examinations has already been announced. The examination under Peshawar board will commence from March 14. The boards are also required to conduct examinations/assessments for grade-V and VIII in March.Ziaullah Bangash, the advisor to chief minister on elementary and secondary education, had told this reporter a few weeks ago that summaries for chairmen’s appointment were ready and would be submitted to the chief minister for final approval soon.However, according to sources, no summary has been drafted for the purpose so far.According to sources, an internal mafia in the boards that makes huge earnings during examinations has managed to first get the chairmen repatriated and are now trying to get rid of honest and competent officers that they consider as a hurdle in their way.The sources said the mafia is controlled by an officer in the Peshawar board who was appointed on political basis through an irregular process.He is influential enough to get irregular promotion to BS-18 without approval of the competent authority, which in this case is the chief minister.

from The News International - Peshawar https://ift.tt/2NqxENQ