Higher education: Govt to convince VCs for reducing tenure

‘VCs will oppose the move at today’s meeting’

LAHORE: The Higher Education Department (HED) has convened a meeting with vice chancellors (VCs) on Sunday (today) to confer with them regarding a proposal to shorten the tenure of VCs from the current four years to two years.

“It seems that the government is reluctant to pass an ordinance in this regard in view of the opposition from academics,” said a VC who did not want to be named.

He said the government apparently wanted to influence the administration of public universities which were autonomous institutions. He said the VCs would oppose the move.

Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) Dr Nizamuddin said that a meeting had been called. He refused, however, to share its agenda.

The Federation of All Pakistan Academic Staff Associations (FAPUASA) issued a statement on Saturday urging Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and the HED secretary to not pursue the move. “It is a conspiracy by the bureaucracy and some politicians to enhance their influence at universities,” the federation said.

FAPUASA Punjab chapter president Hassan Mobeen Aalam said the federation would hold protest demonstrations at all universities if the government moved to implement the proposal.

Punjab University Academic Staff Associations secretary Mahboob Hussain and vice president Abid Hussain Chaudhry said reducing the tenure of VCs would increase the influence of politicians and bureaucrats.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 16^th, 2015.