Politics of education: Academics concerned over reports about reduced term for VCs

PU academic staff association says it will start a series of protest if the proposal is approved by the chief minister

LAHORE:

University academics have expressed concern over media reports about a provincial government proposal to reduce the term of vice chancellors at 10 public universities from four to two years. Academic staff association of at least one university [not amongst the 10] has threatened to start a protest drive against the move if the proposal is approved.

In a statement on Sunday, the Punjab University Academic Staff Association (PUASA) announced that it would organise a series of demonstrations if the proposal to decrease the term of VCs was approved. PUASA acting president Abid Hussain Chaudhry and secretary Mahboob Hussain were quoted in the statement as criticising the higher education bureaucracy for what they said were attempts to misguide the chief minister on governance of public universities. They said a two-year term for the VC would prevent the university from successfully achieving its long-term academic and research goals.

The Federation of All Pakistan Universities’ Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) also expressed concerns over reports about the proposal. A FAPUASA spokesperson said reduction in the term of the VC would hurt growth at public universities and appealed the chief minister to reject the proposal.

In its statement, the FAPUASA said that with a two year term in office, the VCs would be unable to implement their policies for improving academic and research standards at their universities.

The statement further said that the vice chancellors could not be expected to demonstrate a high degree of professionalism if they were selected for only a period of two years. It said the term of vice chancellors should be decided in view of the need for consistency in academic and research policies at universities.

Various reports in the media over the week had stated that the government was considering a proposal to reduce the term of VCs at 10 public universities from four to two years. Higher Education Department Secretary Irum Bokhari had been reported to have sent the proposal to the chief minister.

Bokhari was not available for comment.

The 10 universities quoted in the reports were Government College University, Lahore; Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan; University of Education; Lahore College for Women University; University of Sargodha; Fatima Jinnah Women’s University Rawalpindi; Government Sadiq College Women University Bahawalpur; The Ghazi University Dera Ghazi Khan; Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Engineering and Information Technology, Multan; and Khawaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan. The HED had sought applications for vacant post of vice chancellors at these universities in April. A search committee formed for the purpose had received 180 applications. It had short-listed 15 candidates who were interviewed in May. Appointments have yet to be made to these posts.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 10^th, 2015.