200 apply for nine vacant posts of public sector varsities’ VC

PESHAWAR: More than 200 applicants have applied for the nine vacant positions of vice-chancellors of public sector universities and the initial list of the candidates would be handed over to the search committee in a couple of days.

“Some 200 candidates have submitted applications for the vacant positions. Each applicant has applied for seven and eight universities,” an official of the Higher Education Department told The News.

Contrary to the previous practices, the Higher Education Department would compile a list of all the candidates without any scrutiny and forward it to the search committee.The search committee headed by former chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Prof Dr Attaur Rahman would conduct the short-listing and call selected candidates for interviews.

It would take another 15 to 20 days to do the shortlisting, the official added.Previously the Higher Education Department used to do the scrutiny in line with the prescribed criteria and forward the scrutinized list to the search committee. However, the existing search committee was interested in doing the scrutiny and shortlisting itself to ensure “transparency and fair-play.”

The search committee includes reputed educationists from across the country. They include Dr Sohail H Naqvi, former executive director HEC and vice-chancellor LUMS University Lahore, Dr Ishrat Hussain, director Institute of Business Administration  Karachi and Dr Ghulam Abbas Mian, Rector Rifah University Islamabad. 

The posts of vice-chancellors of different universities were advertised after a long delay in February last. The universities include Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Hazara University, University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, Islamia College University, Peshawar, Abbottabad University of Science and Technology, Women University Swabi, Shuhada-e-Army Public School University of Technology, Nowshera and Women University Mardan.

Four universities are newly established and the remaining are being administered by acting heads. The Hazara University has been functioning under an acting vice-chancellor for three long years. Kohat University of Science and Technology has been working without a regular vice-chancellor for nearly two years.

Gomal University is without a regular vice-chancellor for three months and University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar for two months. The position of Islamia College University was also advertised, though it has a full-time vice-chancellor, Prof Ajmal Khan, till June next. According to the Universities Act, the position should be advertised six months before the completion of the tenure of the incumbent vice-chancellor. 

The lengthy legislation process caused delay in the appointment of vice-chancellors for different universities. The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government after taking power in the province focused attention on reforming the educational system, especially the higher education.

For the purpose, the government amended the Universities Act 2012, curtailing the tenure of the vice-chancellors from four to three years. The procedure for appointment, extension and removal of vice-chancellors was also reviewed in the amended law and new criteria for VCs’ appointment were introduced. It was considered tough for majority of the academicians in the province to meet. The law was amended through an ordinance promulgated in February to relax the criteria for the vice-chancellors after which the positions were advertised.