VCs vs teachers: ‘No room for political influence in committee for VCs’

Committee will regulate working of the VCs, Pro VCs and registrars.

HYDERABAD: As the controversies surrounding the anticipated amendment in the newly enacted law regulating the public sector universities in Sindh drag on, reports of the formation of a monitoring and search committee have further perturbed the academia.

The committee, which will reportedly comprise MNA Dr Azra Pechuho, Dr Asim Hussain and Mazharul Haq Siddiqui, will be empowered to regulate the working of the VCs, Pro VCs, registrars and controllers, according to the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association’s (FAPUASA) sources. They claim that the notification has been faxed to all the public sector universities.

“The committee should only have senior or career academicians, such as retired professors and vice-chancellors, as its members. We respect our political leaders but representation of politicians and bureaucrats in the committee is unacceptable,” said FAPUASA Sindh President Dr Asad Abidi. “We are not short of such learned people so there is no need to bring those who lack the required credentials and can expose the domain of higher education to political influences.”

Mazharul Haq Siddiqui, the former vice-chancellor of Sindh University, however, denied having any knowledge about the committee.

Behind closed doors

Reactions also poured in on the reports that the vice-chancellors have secured the government’s consent on their recommendations for the age limit for the VCs appointment and their tenure extension.

The newly formed association of the vice-chancellors of Sindh’s public sector universities met Sindh Governor Dr Isharatul Ebad Khan and education minister Nisar Khuhro on October 23. It was reported that the VCs were assured that their recommendations would be made part of the draft for amendment in the recently enacted Sindh Universities Law (Amendment) Act, 2013. The bill will be tabled in the Sindh Assembly next month.

The university teachers and FAPUASA have opposed any concession given to the VCs regarding their demands about doing away with the age limit of 65 years for their appointment and their eligibility for the third tenure.

“The law minister had assured us [FAPUASA] that the VCs’ appointment criteria will be set as per our recommendations,” Dr Azhar Ali Shah, part of the association who met minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro on September 28, told The Express Tribune. The minister had principally agreed to set the appointment age at 61 years and the retirement age at 65 years, he said, adding that the association has also obtained verbal consent of the minister about forming a search committee, comprising notable educationist as its members.

The other demands reportedly accepted during the meeting included the appointment of Pro VCs from among the three senior most professors and empowering the syndicate to appoint the registrar, controller and other officials. “At our meeting, the minister informed us that the chief minister’s committee [formed for preparing the draft for amendment in the act] has accepted our recommendations,” Dr Shah claimed.

Fighting for a cause

All the teachers’ associations of the public sector universities are united in their stance on the issue of the VCs appointment, service and authority, clarified Dr Arfana Mallah, president of the Sindh University Teachers Association. According to her, most of the VCs currently serving in the 14 government universities in the province were nearing completion of their second tenure. “They have formed an illogical association. How can the executive heads of the varsities form a group for lobbying of their personal interests?” she questioned.

The FAPUASA has called a meeting on Monday to decide how to proceed.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26^th, 2013.