12 KP varsities VCs’ appointment: Interviews postponed for an indefinite period

PESHAWAR: The interviews for the appointment of vice-chancellors of 12 public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been postponed once again for an indefinite period.

This time the interviews were delayed on the directives of caretaker minister of higher education department Justice Retired Irshad Qaiser.

The office order pertaining to the postponement of the interviews stated: “On the direction of Minister for Higher Education, Archives and Libraries, the interviews for appointment of vice-chancellors for 12 public sector universities scheduled for July 19 and 20, 2023 are hereby postponed with immediate effect till further orders.”

The third postponement of the interviews have caused the fears among the academic and political circles that the process for appointment of the vice-chancellor would not be completed till the arrival of the new elected government.

It means that these universities would remain under the interim setups for another several months to deteriorate their financial, academic and administrative situation further.

Sources in the higher education department told The News that the decision to postpone the interviews this time was purely taken in light of the verbal recommendations of the minister concerned, who has remained a judge of the high court herself. She gave the directives in light of the court orders that had given conditional continuation of the process, the sources said.

They added that the minister was of the opinion that the court orders had been misinterpreted and it did not allow the interviews whatsoever.

Therefore, the interviews were postponed once more for an indefinite period, the sources said. There were certain other concrete reasons, which contributed to the postponement of the interviews.

The foremost reason was the pressure exerted allegedly by the acting vice-chancellors of the universities through politicians and influential figures in the provincial and federal bureaucracy that led to the postponement of the interviews.

The universities concerned including Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, University of Agriculture, Dera Ismail Khan, Women University Swabi, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Swat, University of Agriculture, Swat, University of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Swat, Abbottabad University of Science and Technology, University of Shangla, Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, University of Lakki Marwat, University of Engineering and Technology, Mardan, and Hazara University, Mansehra are functioning under caretaker setups.

Most of these universities don’t have a pro-vice-chancellor even and their additional charge has been given to the vice-chancellors of their nearest universities.

Some reports suggested that even the offices of pro-vice-chancellors in some of the universities were acquired through unfair means. These pro-vice-chancellors have been functioning as acting vice-chancellors for more than a year.

These acting vice-chancellors have been making every effort to get their tenure extended for a maximum period.

According to sources, some of these acting vice-chancellors remained busy in the federal and provincial capitals to use all their influence to get the interviews delayed.

The political wrangling among the component parties of the caretaker government in the province is another reason for postponement of the interviews.

The major parties of the caretaker government wanted to get their interests served in the process.

They have already remained unsuccessful in getting the existing academic and search committee for the appointment of vice-chancellors dissolved and constitute it afresh.

The current committee headed by former chairman higher education commission, Dr Ataur Rahman, still has nearly eight more months in the office as their tenure would expire in February next.

The component parties of the caretaker government believe that the current committee had been installed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf(PTI). They think that this committee would appoint candidates supportive of PTI against these important positions.