Punjab government is all set to appoint permanent vice chancellors (VC) of four big public sector universities, with interviews of candidates beginning on November 29.
The provincial higher education department has formed a search committee that will interview around 150 candidates.
The committee will conduct the interviews during the next week and the department is likely to announce the names of the VCs within a month, sources told The Express Tribune.
The provincial government has reportedly moved to streamline the affairs in the universities with the filling of vacant posts of the VCs as the first step.
Several higher education institutions in the province, including Sargodha University, Sahiwal University, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Engineering and Technology and Emerson University Multan were reportedly facing problems in the absence of regular VCs. Especially development projects and research activities were suffering.
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Following the Punjab government instructions in this regard, the department formed a five-member search committee to conduct interviews after 150 candidates applied for the top posts of four universities.
The committee comprises former Government College University VC Prof Khalid Aftab as convener with Professor Saleema Hashmi, Lahore University of Management Sciences Professor Arif Butt, Higher Education Secretary Sayed Javed Iqbal Bukhari and the Punjab Higher Education Commission chairperson as members. The higher education department has sent call letters for interviews to all 150 candidates, while the search committee has devised a formula for the evaluation.
"Administrative experience, research work and a PhD degree from abroad carry additional marks. The candidates have mentioned their choices for the appointment, while we have also divided them into categories," said a senior official of Punjab Higher Education Department.
He said the highest number of applicants had shown interest in serving at the Sargodha University, including some prominent academicians.
"Hopefully the process of interviews will be completed within a week and as per the policy a summary containing three short-listed names will be sent for each university's VC to the Chief Minister Secretariat.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 27th, 2021.
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