VCs’ tenure: Punjab back to square one

LAHORE
The Punjab government is back to square one vis-à-vis tenure of the Vice-Chancellors (VCs) as a high powered committee has recommended not reducing the tenure of the VCs from four to two years, The News has reliably learnt.
The seven-member committee headed by noted industrialist Syed Babar Ali, who also heads the VC Search Committee, was formed by the Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on August 15.
The committee comprising Dr Zafar Iqbal Qureshi, LUMS VC Dr Sohail Naqvi, ITU Vice Chancellor Dr Umar Saif, Punjab University VC Dr Mujahid Kamran, Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) Chairperson Dr Nizamuddin and Secretary Higher Education Department (HED) Punjab Irfan Ali met the very next day on Sunday at a private residence and decided that the VCs should be offered a four-year tenure as per the existing practice.
It is pertinent to mention here that recently CM Shahbaz Sharif while approving names of VCs of eight out of ten public varsities, advertised earlier this year, also approved reducing tenure of the VCs from four to two years. Subsequently, the Higher Education Department drafted an ordinance for amendment in acts/ordinances of universities vis-à-vis reducing tenure of the VCs and moved the same to the Law Department for vetting on August 6. Afterwards the same was moved to Chancellor/Governor and it is learnt presently the file is still in the Governor’s House. It is therefore HED, Punjab has so far not notified appointment of the VCs despite approval from the CM.
The move of reducing the tenure of VCs drew strong criticism from the stakeholders, especially from Academic Staff Associations (ASAs) of different universities following which the committee was formed. The urgency of the matter could be gauged from the fact that the committee held its meeting on Sunday, a day after it was formed, and meeting minutes were prepared the same night and sent to the Higher Education Department on Monday morning.
Sources privy to the developments said in the wake of recommendation of the committee the exercise related to reducing tenure of VCs would be withdrawn and it is most likely that the department notify appointment of VCs (offering each of them 4-year tenure) in a couple of days.
It is pertinent to mention here that name of Dr Hassan Amir Shah (Professor FC College) has been approved as VC for the Government College University (GCU) Lahore, Dr Rauf-i-Azam (from PMAS Arid Agriculture University) for the University of Education Lahore, Dr Sarah Shahed for Lahore College for Women University (LCWU), Dr Tahir Amin (from Quaid-e-Azam University) for Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) Multan, Dr Muhammad Khalique Ahmed (Lynn University, USA) for The Ghazi University, Dera Ghazi Khan, Dr Talat Afza (from COMSATS) for Government Sadiq College Women University, Bahawalpur, Dr Samina Amin Qadir for Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) Rawalpindi and Dr Athar Mahboob (from Suffa University) for Khawaja Fareed University of Engineering & Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan.
Besides the above mentioned eight universities the posts of VC of University of Sargodha and VC of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Engineering & Information Technology, Multan were also advertised in April. However, the chief minister did not approve any name for these varsities and it is most likely these posts would be re-advertised.