Aitchison College Principal Michael A. Thompson. — Facebook/BARD Foundation
Aitchison College Principal Resigns Citing ‘Unwarranted Interference’ by Governor House
By Nauman Liaquat
Lahore
The principal of Lahore’s Aitchison College, Michael A. Thompson, tendered his resignation on Monday, citing “prejudiced actions by Governor House” and referring to them as “unwarranted interference and brazen directives”.
Although the letter did not specify the reason for tendering the resignation, media reports suggested the move was prompted by Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman’s decision to waive the tuition fees for Minister for Economic Affairs and Establishment Ahad Cheema’s two sons.
The information minister, when asked to comment on the resignation and a letter written by the governor to the principal for waiving the tuition for Cheema’s sons and granting them leave of absence, which has been seen by Dawn.com , said that the children had not been studying at the institution for the past three years.
In a letter addressed to the college staff, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com , Thompson said: “This is not how I planned to leave Aitchison, but I will share with you that a continuation of very poor governance has left me no other choice. Throughout my time as principal, I have done my very best to protect the school’s reputation while extending compassion to those in need.”
However, he said that there was a difference between this pursuit and the presence of “blatant policy manufacturing to accommodate certain individuals”, adding that “such people simply insist on preferential treatment”.
“Politics and nepotism have no place in schools,” Thompson asserted.
“Over the past year, other prejudiced actions by Governor House have contributed to a breakdown of governance and management, under which I had to finally draw a line.
“It seems incredulous to me, and quite possibly to most other people, that a school so successful can be subjected to such unwarranted interference and brazen directives,” he added.
“I leave on April 1 and will not play any role in the management of upcoming admissions,” Thompson stated.
It should be mentioned that Thompson had also tendered his resignation in September 2018, allegedly under pressure from political circles for taking disciplinary action against some students.
According to reports, the principal was facing pressure from the Board of Governors of the college to give admission to the son of former MNA Kashmala Tariq in A-levels after he was expelled earlier.
However, he later withdrew the resignation after then-Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar and provincial education ministers visited him to convince him to do so.
Two months before that, the government had revoked the visa of Thomson, an Australian citizen, because he had allegedly denied admission to a boy from an influential family. Later, it had extended the visa only for three months while more than one year was left in the expiry of his job contract.
Cheema’s children not studying at Aitchison: Tarar
Meanwhile, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar asserted that Cheema’s children had not been studying at the college for the past three years, which was why a fee waiver was sought.
Asked to comment on the matter during a press conference in Islamabad, Tarar said, “As far as Ahad Khan Cheema’s matter is concerned, his children were not studying there (at Aitchison) for the past three years.”
Referring to a letter, seen by Dawn.com and written by Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman — also the president of the college’s Board of Governors — to Thompson, Tarar said it mentioned that Cheema’s children had moved to Islamabad and were studying at a school there.
“The law allows that if you are not studying, then the fee is not paid for not studying. He submitted an application according to the law and rules that my children are not studying there so why is the tuition [due],” the minister said.
Recalling “education reforms, scholarships [and] the laptop scheme”, the PML-N leader said the matter was being “given a wrong impression”.
“I think it is his right; his (Ahad’s) wife submitted an application according to the law,” Tarar asserted. -Dawn
