Why Aitchison College Principal Michael Thompson has suddenly resigned?
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LAHORE - Aitchison College Principal Michael Thompson resignation has created a new controversy in the town.
He has resigned from his position following a controversy over the expulsion of the son of a former parliamentarian, Kashmala Tariq.
12 students, including Kashmala’s son, were involved in a minor scuffle during mock exams for O-levels. Taking disciplinary action, the school decided that all 12 boys would not be allowed admission to A-levels.
However, when the school reopened after the summer holidays, it was reportedly revealed that out of the 12 boys, only Kashmala’s son had been refused admission to the next class.
Kashmala Tariq had moved a complaint against Principal Thompson to Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar soon after he took oath last week. The Punjab governor also holds the chair of the Board of Governors of Aitchison College.
Sources said that Kashmala had accused the principal of unfairly expelling her son from the school despite her requests for an impartial inquiry into the incident. The governor reportedly sought a report on the issue from Thompson and also formed a three-member committee to investigate the case.
Objecting to the chairman’s ‘unilateral’ decision of launching a probe against him, Principal Thompson resigned from his post, saying he could not “work in such circumstances”.
Interestingly, Principal Thomson had already communicated the ongoing tussle with Kashmala Tariq in writing to the Punjab governor but it had somehow failed to reach him.
Three-member probe committee was formed due to a “miscommunication” between the chairman and Principal Thompson.
“The principal’s letter regarding the issue did not reach the chairman’s desk, therefore, he was not aware of the situation beforehand. When Kashmala Tariq filed her complaint, the governor set up a three-member committee to probe the matter and report back to him,” he said.
Ali Salman added that efforts were being made to resolve the issue amicably between all the parties involved. “We are hoping for a breakthrough on Thursday,” he said.
Sources said that a delegation of old Aitchisonians had also visited Governor Sarwar on Wednesday to urge him not to accept Thompson’s resignation.
