HED appoints pro and officiating VCs, finally

PESHAWAR: The Higher Education Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has finally appointed pro and officiating vice-chancellors for four public sector universities, with charge of three additional universities given to nearby institutions due to their absence of regular leadership.

In a notable move, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Engineering and Technology Mardan has been entrusted with the look-after charge of four universities spanning four districts from Peshawar to Swat.

According to the notification, Prof Dr Muhammad Jehanzeb Khan, a senior professor with past vice-chancellor experience, has been named the officiating vice-chancellor of the University of Peshawar. Meanwhile, Prof Dr Muhammad Tahir, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, has been appointed as acting vice-chancellor of Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan. Dr Maqsood Haider, an assistant professor, will serve as acting vice-chancellor of FATA University, and Prof Dr Aurangzeb Khan, Dean of the Faculty of Computing and Information Technology, has been designated as officiating vice-chancellor of the University of Science and Technology Bannu.

Additionally, the vice-chancellor of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Sheringal, has been assigned the additional charge of vice-chancellor for the University of Chitral, while the vice-chancellor of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University Peshawar will oversee the Women University Mardan. The University of Engineering and Applied Sciences Swat will be overseen by the University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar.

Simultaneously, the leave application of the pro-vice-chancellor of the University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar, Prof Dr Qaiser Ali, was accepted, and the look-after charge of the university was assigned to the vice chancellor of the University of Engineering and Technology Mardan during his absence. This appointment makes the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Engineering and Technology Mardan the head of four engineering and technology universities located across Peshawar, Nowshera, Mardan, and Swat, marking a significant development.

The lack of regular vice-chancellors in 24 out of the total 34 public sector universities in the province has been a significant issue for over two years. The successive governments - of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the caretakers - have failed to ensure timely appointment of the vice-chancellor.

Much and talked and written about the non-appointment of vice-chancellors on time. But the least could be done by the successive governments for a host of reasons, top of which is counted as vested interests.

The delay in appointments has been widely discussed, with various reasons cited, including vested interests. During this period, the academic and search committee led by Dr Ataur Rahman resigned due to the government’s lack of seriousness. However, the caretaker government demonstrated urgency in completing the appointments, reconstituting the committee to ensure swift appointments for 19 universities.

Although the committee efficiently completed the process and received cabinet approval for final panels, the notifications were delayed due to technical reasons and the change in provincial government leadership. Despite the government’s legal obligation to notify the appointments, it intends to revoke the process and re-advertise the positions, citing amendments to the universities’ act as the rationale.

Minister of Higher Education Meena Khan Afridi has reiterated the government’s intention to re-advertise the positions, complicating the situation further. Meanwhile, the tenure of five more vice-chancellors has ended, leaving their offices vacant and bringing the total number of universities without leadership to 24.

The government’s request for recommendations from vice-chancellors for amendments to the act is seen as problematic, as 24 out of 34 universities lack regular leadership. This administrative crisis is particularly acute in universities like the University of Peshawar, which lacks any pro, acting, or officiating vice-chancellor, leading to a halt in academic, administrative, and financial affairs.

Additionally, a concerning notification from the Higher Education Department allowed a senior professor at Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan to sign degrees for graduates until the appointment of an acting or regular vice-chancellor.

Beyond administrative challenges, universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are grappling with severe financial crises, with some of the oldest institutions unable to pay salaries to their employees.