Aitchison College Principal Dr Agha Ghazanfar Ali has been removed from his post following a meeting of the board of governors of the college on Tuesday. The decision was taken at the board of governors meeting held in the absence of Agha Ghazanfar. According to a media report, the decision was taken after Agha Ghazanfar refused to grant admissions to the relatives of influential people of the province. The decision was taken by Punjab Governor Malik Rafique Rajwana, who presided the meeting. The report said that Agha Ghazanfar had refused admissions to former Punjab governor Makhdoom Ahmad Mahmud’s grandson and Ali Ayyaz Sadiq’s son. Agha Ghazanfar Ali had been working as the principal of Aitchison College for the past four years and is the first Aitchisonian principal of the college. Meanwhile, board members cited serious administrative negligence as the reason for the removal of the principal while stating that Punjab Chief Minister Shhabaz Sharif’s late brother Abbas Sharif’s son was also not allowed admission by the college as per the merit, yet Ghazanfar was appreciated by the government. Agha Ghazanfar was not available for comment as he is in England, and the board meeting was called without any intimation to him, which is a serious violation of the rules. Just because Ghazanfar was terminated in the proper way, with the board of directors deciding the fate, it does not make this decision acceptable. Nepotism has become a mindset, one that is regularly seen amongst parents queuing at the Aitchison admissions office. The Aitchison admission process has been problematic for years now. What constitutes “merit” for a four year old? What is even asked in these exams, that separates one toddler’s intellectual capacity from another? At the core, isn’t getting into school at this age a matter of demand and supply? If the Principal has been fired for not admitting a few political babies, it is too harsh a sentence. There are other schools in Lahore, some that might even provide better education (Gasp!). The admissions process has only brought ill repute to one of the oldest schools in Pakistan, nothing more.
pk.shafaqna.com
