Eligibility criteria for Swat University VC appointment draws criticism

PESHAWAR: The eligibility criteria mentioned in a recent advertisement for appointment of the vice-chancellor of University of Swat has exposed the double standards of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and provoked criticism from the academic circles.
The provincial government recently advertised the position of vice-chancellor for the university. The eligibility criteria given for the position was not different from that of an assistant professor. The advertisement says: “An outstanding academician/administrator of international stature; should preferably have earned a PhD degree; should not be more that 65 years of age on 4th September, 2015; both male and female candidates are eligible to apply; should have 10 years minimum experience in postgraduate teaching/research or experience in executive administration.”
The eligibility criteria seemed strange for a government that believes in change and improvement. The government recently amended the act for public sector universities and adopted the toughest criteria for appointment of the vice-chancellors. However, for the University of Swat the criteria is different, the critics pointed out.
“This criteria showed that the position has been advertised keeping in view a particular individual. Only his picture has not been given in the ad,” remarked a senior academician while talking to The News.
The officials at the Higher Education Department (HED) are of the opinion that the Universities’ Act had not been extended to the three universities in Malakand division and these were being run under presidential regulations.
They said the criteria for these three universities - University of Swat, Malakand University, Chakdarra and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Sheringal-was different than the other public sector universities in the province. A professor told this reporter that the presidential regulations were interpreted by competent authority for the appointment of the vice-chancellors. He said that if the government is of the opinion that the universities in Malakand division were run under presidential regulations and the provincial act was not applicable on them, then the criteria used for the appointment of vice-chancellors in Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad and Karakoram International University and other federal universities must be applied there. The professor said the presidential regulations didn’t bar the government from owning proper criteria for the appointment of the vice-chancellor.
“This advertisement seems to be a deliberate attempt to lower the standard for the appointment of vice-chancellors. I don’t defend whatever happened during the term of the previous government in appointment of vice-chancellors, but at least some standards had been maintained,” he remarked.
“This advertisement is non-sense. It depicts the double standards of the government. How could an individual with just 10 years experience in any field be made head of a university? Even the condition of PhD is not compulsory. This would bring universities down to the standard of government colleges,” he argued. In the recently implemented Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universities (Amendment) Act, 2015, the provincial government adopted much harder criteria for the appointment of the vice-chancellors. The “Essential Qualification and Experience” for a vice-chancellor, according to the act is that for general universities like University of Peshawar, the candidate should have earned doctorate in any discipline and possess good academic record.
However, for specialised universities, doctorate should be in the field that the university specialises in. For Khyber Medical University, MBBS or equivalent medical degree from a foreign university with fellowship in relevant specialisation or PhD in a relevant discipline; for University of Engineering and Technology, PhD in a field of engineering; and for Agricultural University, PhD in a field of agriculture. Also, the candidate should have at least 20 years experience in teaching and also research in the field of Higher Education.
The candidate should also have a minimum of 40 research publication in peer-reviewed international research journals (with impact factors of above 1.0 in the case of candidates in the fields of agriculture, science or engineering).
Also, the candidate for vice-chancellor should have at least 10 years of administrative/postdoctoral research experience in the field of higher education, experience to supervise PhD students leading to successful grant of PhD degree(s) to student(s), execution of at least one major research project and experience of working with international bodies or international exposure through participation in workshops, seminars or conferences held outside the country.