PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has introduced a formal policy regarding appointments to the positions of chairman, controller, and secretary in the province’s examination boards.
Under this new policy, any officer under inquiry will be ineligible for these posts. Previously, appointments to these top roles in the eight examination boards of the province were made at the discretion of the Chief Minister. Now, an effective policy has been established, which includes the formation of a seven-member committee responsible for overseeing the shortlisting and interview process. The Minister for Primary and Secondary Education will serve as the chairman of this committee.
The other members will consist of the Additional Chief Secretary for Planning and Development, the Secretary of Primary Education, the Secretary of Higher Education, the Secretary of Establishment, the Chairman of the Public Service Commission, and the Vice Chancellor of a university or a renowned educationist.
According to the policy, after the shortlisting and interview process, the names of three candidates for each position will be sent to the Chief Minister, who will select one candidate for appointment. Although a similar process was in place previously, it was mostly formal, with the government appointing individuals of its choosing. This new policy aims to limit the Chief Minister’s powers.
Under the new policy, candidates will be assessed based on various criteria. For the chairman position, 60 marks are allocated for shortlisting, with 15 marks for a PhD, 14 for an MPhil, and 13 for a Master’s degree. Candidates must have at least 20 years of service, including a minimum of 10 years of administrative experience. Additionally, 5 marks are awarded for relevant training courses and 20 marks for previous career performance.
For the interview of the chairman, the committee can award up to 40 marks, with 8 marks designated for leadership and strategic vision, governance and administration, technical experience, communication and interpersonal skills, and problem-solving and creativity.
Similarly, for the positions of Secretary and Controller of the Examination Board, the shortlisting process allocates 60 marks, with 15 for a PhD, 14 for an MPhil, 13 for a Master’s degree, and 15 to 20 marks for professional experience. Candidates must have at least five years of administrative experience, with 5 marks for relevant training courses and 20 for job performance. The interview process for these positions is also worth 40 marks.
The new policy has initiated regular shortlisting of candidates for the first time, and the interview process is expected to conclude by January 1, 2026. This policy not only limits the Chief Minister’s powers but also promotes transparency; any officer meeting the new criteria will now be eligible for these roles. However, the Chief Minister retains the authority to select one candidate from the three proposed by the committee.
In a statement, Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education Muhammad Khalid mentioned that the posts for the chairmen of the Abbottabad and Malakand Boards, the Peshawar Board, three secretaries, and two to three controllers have been advertised, attracting over twenty applicants for each position.
Secretary Muhammad Khalid clarified that while the Chief Minister can appoint any candidate from the panel of three recommended by the committee, he also has the option to interview them again. In contrast, for the panel sent to the Chief Minister for the appointment of Vice Chancellors at universities, only the candidate ranked first will be appointed. If the Chief Minister decides not to appoint the top candidate, he must justify his choice. While the Chief Minister does not have authority over the appointment of Vice Chancellors, he still has the power to select a candidate from the panel for other positions.
