LAHORE - Six public universities in Punjab are functioning without Vice Chancellors while the VCs Search Committee has been delaying the appointment owing to unknown reason, The Nation has learnt.
Sources said the tenure of the six VCs has already expired on July 13, 2015. They include Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) VC Dr Sabiha Mansoor, Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) Rawalpindi VC Dr Samina Amin Qadir.
The tenure of three vice chancellors - Dr Khaleequr Rahman of Government College University (GCU), Dr Faizul Hassan of University of Education Lahore and Dr Syed Khawaja Alqama of Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) Multan - expired on July 22, 2015 whereas tenure of Dr Mohammad Akram Chaudhry of University of Sargodha (UoS) will expire on October 9, 2015.
A senior official at Punjab Higher Education Commission told this scribe the Vice Chancellor Search Committee, which is responsible for shortlisting and finalising the names of candidates, has already forwarded a list of the potential candidates to the Chief Minister. “It is likely that the posts would soon be filled after consultation with the Governor (chancellor) who is the final appointing authority,” he added.
The search committee includes Syed Babar Ali as Convener, and comprises Punjab Higher Education Commission Chairperson Dr Mohammad Nizamuddin, Higher Education Department (HED) Secretary Zafar Iqbal Quraishi, MPA Dr Ayesha Ghous Pasha (presently provincial Finance Minister).
But the HEC official was also unaware of the reason why the process of interviews and appointments had been delayed.
However, an official of Education department believed the eligibility criteria for the appointment of VCs as one of the reasons for such delay. Many people raised the question whether Ph.D is essential for applying the post of VC or not, he said.
The situation, nevertheless, is not same everywhere as some of the retired vice-chancellors are still holding the offices as they have not been notified yet.
According to the sources, the Vice Chancellors Search Committee shortlisted three sitting VCs including Prof Dr Khaleequr Rehman (GCU Lahore), Dr Samina Amin (Fatima Jinnah Women University Rawalpindi) and Dr Farhat Saleemi (Government College Women University Sialkot).
Initially about 23 candidates out of 180 applicants were shortlisted against the desirable posts of vice chancellors at 10 public sector universities of the province, however, the committee had to re-conduct interviews for more candidates last week, sources said.