Three more months: AIOU acting vice-chancellor gets extension

Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training approved the extension.

ISLAMABAD:

Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof Ali Asghar Chisti has been given a three-month extension on the post.

The Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training, Balighur Rehman, who is also pro-chancellor of the university, approved the extension.

Prof Chishti, who is in-charge AIOU Faculty of Arabic and Islamic Studies, was appointed acting vice-chancellor on March 21, according to an Education Ministry notification. While Chisti’s tenure expired on June 21, he was verbally informed by the minister to continue his work.

Following the expiry of the tenure of the acting vice-chancellor, Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairperson Dr Mukhtar Ahmad wrote a letter to the Ministry of Education about the status of the post. The ministry on Thursday approved another three-month extension in the tenure of Prof Chisti.

AIOU, International Islamic University Islamabad and Quaid-i-Azam University have been without permanent vice-chancellors for the last several months.

The HEC had been scrutinising and short-listing candidates for the posts for the past four months. Now, due to unspecified reasons, the Ministry of Education has taken charge of the committee from the HEC and will look into the issue itself.

A search committee has been notified, while the nomination of four experts has yet to be announced.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4^th, 2014.