Govt to re-advertise VC post for Punjab University

An official says the vacancy will be advertised according to the new criteria

LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to re-advertise the post of the vice chancellor of the Punjab University instead of hiring one of the people recommended by the search committee, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The matter has been pending for months after the Lahore High Court (LHC) directed the Punjab government to appoint vice chancellors at four universities, including the Punjab University, as per the recommendations of the search committee. The search committee, which is tasked to screen candidates for the post of vice chancellors at public universities in the province, provides a list of three names from among the candidates from whom a candidate is selected for the slot.

The provincial government had appointed two vice chancellors from the four universities. However, the appointment at Punjab University and the Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Engineering and Technology (MNSUET) is still pending.



However, on June 24, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif interviewed all six candidates for vice chancellorship at Punjab University and MNSUET. Academic circles hoped that permanent vice chancellors would be appointment soon after the interviews; however, the government has now revised its position and decided to start the appointment process anew.

When contacted, Punjab Higher Education Minister Syed Raza Ali Gillani confirmed that the government was going to re-advertise the post. However, he did not confirm when it would happen. When asked when it was expected, he said that the post would be re-advertised soon.

An official privy to the matter also told The Express Tribune that the move was confirmed and said that the post at both – the Punjab University and the MNSUET – would be re-advertised and applications would be sought once again from candidates for the VC slot. He said, “The re-advertisement is likely after the government finalises new requirements for the vice chancellors.”

The Punjab government had established a 10-member committee to review and revise the criteria for vice chancellors of public sector universities. The committee has finalised its recommendation and are awaiting the approval of the chief minister.

The official said that the post would be re-advertised according to the new criteria for the position of vice chancellors. He said that appointments of vice chancellors at other remaining universities in the province would also be made according to these new rules.

Commenting on the development, Federation of all Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Associations (FAPUASA) Punjab President Dr Javed Ahmad said that the government should appoint vice chancellors as per the orders of the LHC. He asked why the appointments were made at two of the four universities and why the government was taking a discriminatory stance at the remaining two – the Punjab University and the MNSUET. He said, “The government should make the appointments as per the LHC orders and a uniform policy should be adopted on the matter. An appointment should be made from among the three names recommended by the search committee.”



Dr Javed said it was beyond understanding about why the government was going to re-advertise the posts. He said, “The government could have appointed the people who are now working at acting vice chancellors at these two universities as their names have also been recommended by the search committee”. He said that the approach taken by the government was creating doubts among the academic circles.

The LHC on April 27 directed the Punjab government to appoint vice chancellors at Punjab University, Lahore College for Women University (LCWU), University of Sargodha (UoS) and MNSUET Multan as per the recommendations of their respective search committees. The matter of appointments of vice chancellors at public universities in Punjab has become a controversial affair for the provincial government as the matter still lingers.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21^st, 2017.