Renowned businessman and philanthropist Syed Babar Ali who was serving as chairman of the school’s the school’s Board of Governors’ (BoG) management committee, tendered his resignation on February 6th 2024 citing ‘health and advanced age’ as reasons.
The letter was addressed to Governor of Punjab Mr. Balighur Rahman who serves as the President of the school’s BoG.
Syed Babar Ali’s letter from more than a month ago surfaced only today shortly after Principal Aitchison College Mr. Michael A. Thompson resigned after a prolonged confrontation with Governor Punjab Baligh Ur Rehman over the matter of the waiver of tuition fee two students, sons of Ahad Cheema, a former senior Punjab bureaucrat and current Federal Minister for Economic Affairs.
Read detailed story here
This means that Mr. Ali tendered his resignation at a time when tensions were at their peak at the school regarding the issue of Mrs Ahad Cheema’s children’s leave of absence with a complete waiver of fees. It is therefore likely that the resignation not solely due to health concerns, rather in protest to the treatment being meted out to the Principal Thompson.
The contents of the letter also suggest the same where Babar Ali is all praise for the Mr. Thompson.
“I can affirm that Mr. Michael (Thompson) has done more for the College that any other Principal in the past ninety years. He has not only been able to raise funds for three new boarding houses but has also brought a new life on the campus by increasing the border population from under 150 to 500”, Babar Ali wrote.
He goes on to commend Thompson for achieving exemplary academic results and achieving record admissions for students at IV league schools in the US and UK.
“My request to you and the Board is to acknowledge the excellent contribution that Mr. Michael Thomson has made during his tenure”, Ali adds.
Thomson will vacate his seat on April 1. the search for a new Principal remains ongoing.
