Academics want to be in on appointment of VCs

FAPUASA requests CM to finalise criteria

LAHORE: Academics demanded that the Punjab government take all stakeholders on board before finalising the process for the appointment of vice chancellors in the province.

The demand was made during a meeting of Federation of all Pakistan Academic Staff Association’s (FAPUASA) Punjab chapter. They met at the Punjab University to deliberate over a one-point agenda on the criteria for the appointment of VCs at public sector universities.

The meeting was presided by FAPUASA Punjab Chapter President Dr Javed Ahmad. The federation requested the chief minister and law minister to finalise the criteria for appointment of VCs after consulting all stakeholders, especially FAPUASA Punjab.

“The VC must be a PhD degree holder who is, or has remained, a full professor of a University. Due weightage must be given to research publications. If a person is not published reasonably, how can he or she patron research activity at higher education institutions?  The process should be undertaken by an independent search committee comprising of reputed senior academicians with special screening for the possibility of conflict of interest.”

It further stated that transparency and merit should be ensured in the appointment of leaders of higher education institutions.” In the light of 18th Constitutional Amendment, the provincial government should play a supportive role in promoting higher education in Punjab through the PHEC,” it said. The federation supported the idea of the Punjab government creating a cell for the appointment of vice-chancellors in all the universities of the province.

The federation emphasised that the VCs appointed from academia played their role to uplift universities, therefore teaching experience must form part of the criteria.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 8^th, 2017.