Education Dept sends summary to CM

It will be approved by the cabinet after getting Shehbaz’s nod


Ammar Sheikh October 21, 2017
PHOTO: AFP

LAHORE: The Punjab Higher Education Department (HED) has, through a summary to the Punjab chief minister, forwarded its recommendations for criteria to appoint university vice chancellors in the province.

A committee of the Punjab government met on Friday and it was decided that the summary would be approved by the cabinet after the approval of the chief minister. Subsequently, the changes to the criteria of the appointment of vice chancellors would be implemented.

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The summary by the HED was sent to the chief minister on August 31 and had been pending with the chief minister. Thus far, two meetings have taken place over the issue.

According to the summary, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, the HED proposed: “The government may determine and approve the draft qualifications, experience and other relevant requirements (criteria) for the post of vice chancellors and proposed mechanism for the constitution of search committees and procedure to be followed by the search committees.”

It continues, “So far, a person who is not more than 65 years of age on the last date fixed for submission of applications for the post of the VC may apply for the post as per universities’ laws (Acts/Ordinances). As per recommendation of the committee, the matter of doing away with age restriction for the appointment of VCs has been left at the discretion of the chief executive of the province.” It further gives a list of varsities for which the mentioned criteria should be adopted. The universities include Women University Multan, Ghazi University Dera Ghazi Khan, University of Sahiwal, University of Jhang, University of Okara, University of Home Economics Lahore and University of the Punjab Lahore.

The summary also points that in the case of Information Technology University (ITU) Lahore, the authority for the approval [of the proposed criteria] rests with the chancellor/governor. It suggests that the chief minister “advise the Governor/Chancellor to approve the draft qualifications”.

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The summary said that once approved, the notifications shall be issued separately for each university as per the relevant provision of each university’s Act. “The already notified criteria for the University of the Punjab, Ghazi University, University of Sahiwal and University of Okara will be substituted with the newly approved criteria.”

The summary, titled qualifications, experience and other relevant requirements (criteria) for the post of vice chancellors of public sector universities of the Punjab, mechanism for the constitution of search committees and procedures to be followed by the search committees, has made its recommendations as per the Lahore High Court’s judgment on April 27.

The summary, along with the recommendations made by the committee, says that according to the relevant provisions of the acts of public sector universities, the government had the power to determine, through a notification in the official gazette, the qualifications, experience and other requirements for the post of vice chancellors.

Two committees were formed to formulate the criteria – qualifications, experience and other relevant requirements, for the appointment of vice chancellors and another for the constitution of a search committee for the appointment process. However, the decision to make PhD degrees preferred for vice chancellor candidates, but not compulsory did not sit well with academics. The Federation of all Pakistan Academic Staff Association’s (FAPUASA) Punjab chapter, in a meeting, demanded that the Punjab government take all stakeholders onboard  before making changes to the criteria of appointment of vice chancellors in public sector universities of the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21st, 2017.

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