Sprucing up varsities: VCs committee to resolve administrative issues

PHEC will provide secretarial support to the committee

LAHORE: Equipped with the goal to resolve administrative and other issues at public sector universities of Punjab, a seven-member vice chancellors’ committee has been constituted.

At a meeting held on Friday at the Government College University (GCU) Lahore where vice chancellors of public sector universities of Punjab unanimously constituted the First Vice Chancellor Committee and nominated GCU Lahore Vice Chancellor Dr Hassan Amir Shah as its head.



The meeting was chaired by Punjab Higher Education Minister Syed Raza Ali Gillani and attended by Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) Chairperson Dr Mohammad Nizamuddin, Higher Education Department (HED) Additional Secretary Maryam Kayani and vice chancellors from all public sector universities.

The seven-member committee comprises vice chancellors of Government College University Lahore, University of Education Lahore, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Lahore, Fatima Jinnah Women Medical University Lahore, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Government Sadiq College for Women University Bahawalpur and Government College University Faisalabad.

The Punjab Higher Education Commission will provide secretarial support to the committee.



Chairing the meeting, Syed Raza Ali Gillani informed the vice chancellors about the role of PHEC in the post-18th amendment scenario and briefed them about various meetings and stances of the province on higher education in the Council of Common Interest (CCI). “We have had a number of meetings with the HED and the federal government in CCI. We have worked proactively, presented our case strongly and come to a decision which has strengthened PHEC and mitigated your concerns,” the minister said.

The minister pledged his support for resolving the financial, administrative and other issues by presenting them before the Punjab chief minister of. “We will have a meeting with the chief minister and present the recommendations of the committee, which has just been formed, to get all our issues resolved on top priority,” he said.

PHEC Chairperson Dr Mohammad Nizamuddin said the committee, besides deliberating upon the individual matters of universities, would discuss the issues related to financial, academic, administrative, quality enhancement, standardization and internationalisation of higher education reforms. He said that the committee would present their recommendations, through PHEC, to the Punjab government.

The vice chancellors also gave suggestions to improve academic, administrative and quality issues of public sector varsities at the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 14^th, 2018.