ISLAMABAD - Five major health and educational institutes of the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) are lying headless causing impairment of work there. Even after delay of months and years, the Division has failed to fill the top level positions currently being run by people with acting charge.
The Human Organs Transplant Authority (HOTA), established in 2008 before the devolution of the health ministry to regulate organ transplant surgeries in the country, has been working without a permanent administrator since its establishment. And, according to officials, the watchdog of human organs transplant itself has been facing an inquiry for inducting over 100 employees against 43 sanctioned posts in June 2013.
The National Institute of Science and Technical Education (NISTE) has also been functioning without a permanent Director General since 2009 after the retirement of Prof. Farid A. Khawaja. Since then the institute has seen about 15 DGs and none of them worked for more than five months.
Before the devolution of education ministry the Institute's mandate was to provide quality training in Science, Technical and Computer Information Technology to teachers across Pakistan but after the 18th Amendment its role has been limited to the federal level.
To make it more effective Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Reform Ahsan Iqbal had floated an idea to give NISTE a status of National Skilled Development University following India and Bangladesh to offer job oriented courses to produce skilled labour for Middle East and other countries on the basis of market needs and demands.
"But the proposal is gathering dust as the acting DG of NISTE and CADD administration has no interest in the project as after being given the status of the university, CADD will lose its control over the institute," informed an official of NISTE.
The post of Director General of Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) has also been handed over to Joint Education Advisor of CADD, Rafique Tahir, on additional charge basis after removing permanent DG Dr. Shehnaz A. Riaz in February this year on the pretext of an inquiry.
She was appointed by the Supreme Court in May 2012 after years of legal battle. FDE looks after around 424 educational institutions in the Islamabad Capital Territory and the office of DG has lost its effectiveness because of the successive changes.
The position of the Chairman of Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PEIRA) is also lying vacant for the last one year and a member of the authority of BS-19 grade, Imtiaz Ali Qureshi, has been given the lookafter charge. He is also heading Directorate of Workers Education, a training institute for employees of public & private sector organisations, which is also headless since 2010.
Non-appointment of the right persons for these posts has marred the functioning of the institutes in many ways. Besides, officials say, non-civil servants have been appointed on deputation against the posts of civil servants in NISTE and other organisations sidelining the civil servants and permanent employees of the organisations causing resentment among them. Despite that the Establishment Division has circulated in the light of court orders to repatriate such employees to their parent organisations.
"Adhocism cannot take any organisation far," commented a senior official on this state of affairs of CADD. "Officials appointed to look after day-to-day affairs never bother about the organisation or its permanent employees but enjoy perks and privileges and work for personal gains.  To make organisations work smoothly, we must get rid of adhocism and begin planning for the longer-term future," he said.
CADD Joint Education Advisor and Spokesperson Rafique Tahir, however, claimed that efforts were underway to fill the posts and the competent authorities were written suggesting various proposals in this regard. Some of them were sent back raising objections while the reply of some of them was awaited.
"A proposal of three names was sent to Prime Minister for the appointment of FDE DG and the reply of which is awaited. Another summary was sent to fill the post of Piera Chairman that was sent back with some objections which would be addressed. And the NISTE DG is appointed through Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC). The post was advertised twice but no one could qualify."
Regarding HOTA and DWE, he said, he did not know the current status of the appointments of their heads.