LAHORE: Sources revealed on Thursday that Aitchison College’s Board of Governors has managed to persuade its discontented principal to retract his resignation.
Reportedly, the board convened a meeting wherein Michael A. Thomson was personally present to address the matter.
Government representatives intervened, endeavoring to dissuade the principal from resigning, and it is believed they have been successful in their efforts.
A significant portion of the board’s members has expressed opposition to the policy of granting fee waivers.
Nonetheless, some members argued that the authority to grant waivers should lie with the governor, who serves as the president of the board.
Thomson had formally tendered his resignation in a letter addressed to the college’s staff a few days prior, citing concerns over nepotism and political interference.
It later surfaced that the issue stemmed from a request made by Federal Minister Ahad Cheema to waive his sons’ fees.
Earlier, on Monday, Aitchison College Principal Michael A. Thomas stepped down, attributing his decision to instances of interference and nepotism as examples of poor administration within the institution.
In a correspondence addressed to the college’s staff members, Thomas expressed that he was left with no alternative but to tender his resignation.
Thomas expressed his viewpoint that favoritism and political involvement should be absent from the institution’s dealings.
He informed the staff that certain “detrimental” policies were introduced to the college based on the impulsive decisions of a few influential individuals.
He explicitly attributed the college’s governance issues to the partisan approach of the governor’s house.
As reported by various sources, the dispute between the college and the governor originated from the issue of waiving fines imposed on the sons of Federal Minister Ahad Cheema.
In 2018, Thomas considered resigning due to political pressures concerning admissions. However, after Governor Muhammad Sarwar persuaded him, he decided to withdraw his resignation and continue in his position.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
