VC won’t head syndicate under proposed law

Governor to nominate retired judge or bureaucrat for post

LAHORE: Under a proposed amendment to the Public Sector Universities Act, the governor of Punjab will appoint the chairpersons of the syndicates of the institutions on the advice of the chief minister.

The Punjab government has finalised the 13-point draft of the Public Sector Universities Amendment Act 2020, which will be implemented after the approval of the provincial assembly.

According to the draft, the vice chancellor has been declared ineligible for the post of chairperson of the syndicate. The chairperson of each public sector university’s syndicate will be appointed by the governor on the advice of the chief minister.

The qualifications of the chairperson are defined in such a way that a retired judge of Supreme Court or High Court, or retired civil servant of at least BS21 level will be eligible.

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The vice chancellor will be a member of the syndicate in accordance with the qualifications required for the membership. Where there is no permanent vice chancellor, the pro-vice chancellor will be member of the syndicate.

A member of the Punjab Assembly nominated by the speaker will also be a member. Two members will be nominated by the university senate, including a female member. One member will be a senior judge of the high court nominated by the chief justice. At least one member holding the post of additional secretary will be from the Punjab Education Department, who will be nominated by the higher education secretary.

One member from the provincial finance department will at least of the rank of additional secretary finance. One member will be from the ‘University Grants Commission’, according to the draft.

A dean will also be a member of the syndicate, who will be nominated by the chancellor. One seat with be allotted for a professor, one associate professor, one assistant professor and one lecturer, including at least two female members. These members will be elected through voting by all teachers of the university. However, the eligibility to become a member of syndicate on the teachers' seat is at least two years of service in the department.

One member will be a female principal from a government college affiliated to the university, who will be nominated by governor as the chancellor of the university.

The president of student union will also be a member.

In addition, three members will be Islamic scholars, one of whom must be a woman. These members will also be selected by the chancellor on the basis of merit and they must not be employees of any educational institution.

The draft amendment states the syndicate of each university would be free to promote the standard of knowledge and research in the institution by utilising the services of the 17 members.

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On the other hand, teachers of public sector universities have termed the amendment act as tantamount to deprive public sector universities of their authority.

However, in the past, alleged cases of financial and administrative irregularities against the vice chancellors of several government universities, including the Bahauddin Zakariya University in Multan, Gujarat University, Sargodha University and Punjab University, were reported. Inquiries were also held over the establishment of illegal sub-campuses that jeopardised the future of a large number of students and alleged appointments of favourites to important posts related to housing societies.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19^th, 2020.