Lecturers want rid of ethnically-biased chancellor

KHOST CITY (Pajhwok): Lecturers at the Sheikh Zayed University in southeastern Khost province say the campus environment process.

Around 70 lecturers of the university today addressed a joint press conference in Khost City, the provincial capital, complaining that employments and all other affairs of the university were deeply influenced by political affiliations, linguistic and religious connections.

They said ‘academic mafia’ who had made the education affairs worse on the campus dictated the academic center.

Asadullah Tanai and Ustad Habib, two lecturers of Sheikh Zayed University accused the university’s chancellor and some other figures of being partisan and ethnically-biased.

He said those who had relations with top officials of the university could be easily hired, promoted and given scholarships but those without relations were deprived of these privileges.

“Political, partisan, regional, ethnic and linguistic discriminations have reached the climax in the university, lecturers who are not affiliated with a specific political party cannot get promoted or get scholarships, personal and double standards in the university have caused these problems,” he said.

Another lecturer, Dr. Gul Nawaz, said that Sheikh Zayed University was ruled by an academic mafia.

He said they wanted changes in the university leadership for making things better instead of worse.

“An academic mafia is in control here but it should be ended. We are waiting for the higher education ministry and local administration. We want positive changes in the leadership of the university,” he added.

Meanwhile, Khost governor Mohammad Halim Fidai also said he received complaints for the first time about problems in the Sheikh Zayed University.

He tasked a special committee with addressing problems in the university.

“We created a committee for solving disputes in the university, these problems are in the execution, technical and management areas and all will be solved, God willing,” he said.

Hussain Gul Aryubi, chancellor of the university, called allegations of the lecturers as baseless. He said there was no political or ethnic problem in the university.

mds/ma