Achi news desk-
Michael A. Thomson, principal of the prestigious Aitchison College in Lahore, resigned on Monday, citing interference and “obvious policy manufacturing to accommodate certain individuals” who sought “preferential treatment” to allow children of a federal minister long holidays and to waive their fees for this period.
The federal minister who is at the center of the controversy has come out to deny the allegations, stating that the principal refused to implement the legitimate policy decisions of the college board on the matter.
Thomson wrote a letter to Aitchison College staff on Monday using the educational institution’s official stationery, announcing his intention to leave not only the college but also Pakistan.
Thomson began his letter by saying, “This is not how I intended to leave Aitchison, but I will share with you that a continuation of very bad governance has left me with no other choice.”
He said that during his eight years leading the college, he had done his best to protect the school’s reputation while extending compassion to those in need.
“However, there is an essential difference between this pursuit and the manufacture of an overt policy to cater for certain individuals because such people simply demand preferential treatment,” he said, adding, “There is no place for politics and nepotism in schools.”
Thomson explained that the “biased actions of the Governor’s House” over the past year had contributed to a breakdown in the governance and management arrangements of the college, “under which I finally had to draw a line.”
“It seems incredible to me, and possibly to most other people, that such a successful school can be subject to unnecessary interference and such brass directives,” he said, before adding “A foreigner with intentions is not good venturing to another country. with less than pure intent, nor should that person act in any way to encourage or facilitate what he considers to be wrong.”
Thomson announced that he will be leaving the college on April 1 and will not be playing any part in the management of upcoming admissions sessions or attending the G30 summit in the UK.
The conflict
In his resignation letter to the college’s management committee, Thomson said the main controversy was the granting of long leave to two children of Federal Minister Ahad Cheema. Both children were studying at Aitchison College but were then temporarily relocated after Cheema’s assignments were moved to the federal capital. Cheema urged the principal to waive the requirement to deposit the full fees of the two students for the period for which their seats need to be reserved.
The principal denied Cheema’s initial requests. Cheema’s wife then raised the matter with the college Board, headed by Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman, who ruled in her favour. However, Thomson allegedly refused to implement the Board’s decision.
In his letter dated March 23, 2024, Thomson writes that he received a letter from the ‘Government House’ (Balighur Rehman) late on March 22, which “effectively disqualifies Mr and Mrs Cheema from paying a tuition fee of under the college’s guaranteed guarantee policy. place after a long absence, and all future parents’ applications to a maximum of three years’ absence.”
Thomson argued that this was a “terrible decision,” claiming that Cheema was a bad debtor and that it was “a wrong committed on a larger scale to match a smaller consequence.”
Thomson said the move will be detrimental to the college. They will have to reserve seats for students in two classes without being able to recover the cost of those seats for an extended period.
He warned, “The damage to the school will be significant as this decision comes into effect and as parents take advantage of the new rule.”
“As I refuse to accept this decision, and as a result of previously writing in detail to Syed Babar Ai regarding the failure in Governance and Management over the past year, and especially in accordance with the Minutes last recorded based on a pre-meditated treatment of my work. letter to the House of Governors, I will be leaving on Saturday April 1st,” he said, adding, “I have also informed the Management Committee through Mian Khalid Rehman that I will not be attending the G30 Conference in the UK at the end of April.”
Escalate and debate
In a letter dated March 12 to Syed Babar Ali, chairman of the college’s management committee, Thomson claimed that the matter had been going on for over a year after Cheema was asked to work with the first Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government (order from office’ the governor that the issue was initiated in June 2022), then with the caretaker government, before being retained as a federal minister in the new coalition government.
Thomson claimed that Cheema manipulated a letter he sent to refer the matter to the college’s barrister and the Board’s management committee.
“My letter to Mohamad Afzal (Cheema Matter) was not a rejection of the Governor, but a clear reference of the whole Cheema matter to the College Barrister and the Board’s Management Committee,” he said, adding that Afzal had “raised ” one. sentence of a crucial paragraph and treat its intent.”
He expressed shock when neither the college’s barrister nor the management committee dealt with the matter “properly”.
After being accused of illegal behavior by Mrs Cheema, Thomson said he had decided to step aside and “allow objective third parties to handle what was a legal matter.”
He reiterated his innocence, stating that he was acting in accordance with the college’s policy on the matter. “The college barrister agreed with my decision. He agreed to take the matter up with Government House.”
Thomson said that Ahad Cheema was a bad debtor and that this matter had been raised before the management committee.
However, Principal Aitchison expressed his disappointment when the Board condemned his letter, accused him of behaving inappropriately towards the Governor, and suggested that he offer an explanation to a review committee.
Thomson said the government had suddenly demanded an inspection of his leaves for the past eight years. “Apparently, this was designed to further undermine my credibility after twice in eight years not ‘asking for leave’ in the appropriate manner,” Thomson claimed, adding that the audit “was akin to a vote on my tenure.”
“It has since become clear to me that the board failed in its duty to read my supplementary letter and therefore observe the redacted paragraph which was handled by Mr Afzal,” he said, adding that the review committee and established having realized the Board’s mistake within five minutes.
Thomson, however, that the “whole issue arises from the disgraceful, biased and defamatory actions of one of the Government officials.”
“My Board acted against me on baseless grounds, and, as a result, basic trust has been lost. Poor communication is at the root of these devastating issues,” he wrote.
Thomson also accused the selection committee of proving incompetent to manage a proper executive search for Aitchison by hiring a “second-rate consultancy” whose chief consultant has never taught while the material produced for the college was “pathetic, misleading, poorly articulated, and unlikely to attract top international candidates”, and that the committee could at least have asked him to write the required summary or prove it.
Further, Thomson said his job was being advertised without his knowledge. He went on to claim that he was “treated disrespectfully” by the Board when it failed to recognize his contribution and his resignation.
Thomson claimed the consultant contacted an internal candidate directly for the job. He argued that this was “terrible practice. The proper process is to refer internal candidates directly to the committee and review them with the head teacher’s input.”
“How would an external consultant know who to contact? This breaks staff morale and creates crabs in a basket,” he said.
Thomson also asked whether the government wanted him to complete the acceptance process or let the new boss handle it and whether he should attend the G30 debate in the UK to keep Aitchison’s membership.
Refutation
In a rebuttal to the principal’s accusations, Cheema said he was transferred to Islamabad in June 2022 and applied for a break for his two children from Aitchison College for the duration of his deputation. He argued that, as he was a civil servant dependent on his salary, it was not possible to pay his children’s tuition fees at the same time in two educational institutions, and therefore, they should be waived in the institution where his children will not spend their time for him. the specified period.
However, Cheema claimed that the headmaster had placed a condition on the long vacation with the payment of the full fee to the two students.
“I asked the headteacher and then the governor to make a policy decision regarding students requesting long holidays, as paying fees in two schools is burdensome,” he said.
The Governor referred the matter to the Board of governors, who approved the policy of long holidays without pay and asked the managers to complete the procedures.
“The Headteacher refused to comply with the instruction of the Board of Governors and did not decide the final policy. Behind the scenes, the headteacher contacted us and offered individual relief if she does not press the policy issue,” said Cheema , adding that the headteacher deleted one child’s name and gave a warning to the other due to non-payment of debts.
“I again requested the Governor to implement the board’s decision. The governor prevented the principal from taking any adverse action,” said Cheema, adding, “The Principal challenged the Governor’s order and the admission of the second child was also terminated.”
Cheema said he has filed another application with the Governor, citing the principal’s total disobedience to the instructions of the Board and the Governor.
The Governor asked for the case data under the law, but the principal openly refused, Cheema claimed.
“When he saw that this would lead to action against him, he provided the record after about two and a half months.”
Cheema said that when the management committee and the Board were unable to complete the matter in two years, the Governor decided to provide interim relief and create a policy of waiving fees for all students for the duration of their long holidays.
Cheema further noted that the headteacher’s term had ended and that he had already indicated his intention to leave. Therefore, his position was advertised, and a selection committee was set up to look for someone to replace him.
