Aitchison College saga: Ahad Cheema refuses to avail fee relaxation after backlash
Pakistan
Cheema urges governor not to withdraw the new policy under any pressure
- Minister Cheema reacts to college principal's move
- Parents of students back Michael Thompson
LAHORE (Dunya News) - After facing backlash, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema has refused to avail himself of any relaxation in the fee of his sons from Aitchison College.
In a letter to Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman, Cheema refused to take any facility for his sons.
Cheema said the new policy of waiving the fee if a student was not studying at the college was “just, fair, equitable and against the traditional elitist mindset”.
He urged the governor not to withdraw the new policy under any pressure as it would help students and their parents in future.
“I wish to convey that I do not want to avail this facility for my children, howsoever rightful I may be and just and fair the policy may be.”
The principal resignation saga
Aitchison College Principal Michael A Thompson tendered his resignation on Monday, citing nepotism and political interference as the reasons behind his decision.
A day later, parents of some college students took to the street to express solidarity with the principal. Several parents and old students gathered outside the Governor House and raised slogans, demanding restoration of the principal of Lahore’s premier institution.
The Aitchison College principal’s abrupt decision to quit came as a surprise. His extreme step appeared to have been triggered by Governor Balighur Rehman's move to waive the tuition fees for the sons of PML-N leader Ahad Cheema.
According to media reports, Cheema's wife had appealed to the Punjab governor to waive her sons' fees.
Subsequently, the governor issued an order granting a three-year waiver on their fees.
“Politics and nepotism have no place in schools,” Thompson wrote in a letter issued to the college staff.
“Throughout my time as Principal, I have done my very best to protect the school's reputation while extending compassion to those in need,” he said in the letter, adding that “there is a crucial difference between this pursuit and blatant policy manufacturing to accommodate certain individuals because such people simply insist on preferential treatment".
Thompson asserted that “this is not how I planned to leave Aitchison”. He said that he would be stepping down from the principal's post on April 1 and would not be playing any role in the management and admissions process.
Thompson had also tendered his resignation back in September 2018, allegedly under pressure from political circles due to disciplinary action taken against some students but he later withdrew the decision.
