Search committee formed to pick PHEC chairperson

LAHORE:The Punjab government has established a high-powered search committee to select the next Chairperson of the Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC), and meanwhile set March 22, 2025, as the deadline for applications for the post.

The five-member committee is led by former bureaucrat Ismail Qureshi. Other members include educationist Dr Zafar Iqbal Qureshi, former rector of NUST Lt Gen (r) Muhammad Asghar, former Kinnaird College principal Dr Rukhsana David, and Secretary of the Higher Education Department (HED) Dr Farrukh Naveed, who will serve as the committee’s secretary. On Sunday, the Higher Education Department (HED) Punjab advertised for the position of Chairperson at the Punjab Higher Education Commission, seeking candidates with exceptional academic credentials and administrative experience. It's worth noting that the PHEC has been without a regular Chairperson since September 2024, when the former Chairperson Prof Dr Shahid Munir, became Vice Chancellor of the University of Engineering & Technology (UET) Lahore.

As per the details, candidates must hold a PhD or an equivalent qualification and have a distinguished career in higher education, whether as a teacher, researcher, or administrator to apply for the post. The selection process involves a rigorous shortlisting system based on a 100-point scale covering academic qualifications (30 points), professional and leadership experience (35 points), and research publications (35 points). Applicants with PhDs from globally top-ranked universities will receive the highest marks in the academic category, while leadership roles in academia or large organisations will contribute significantly to professional experience points. Research output, including peer-reviewed journal articles, books, and patents, will also play a crucial role in the evaluation. The candidates scoring at least 75 points will be shortlisted, with only the top 15 being called for an interview. The interview itself carries 100 points, bringing the total selection score to 200. Talking to The News, Secretary HED Punjab Dr Farrukh Naveed said that if the number of eligible applicants exceeded expectations, the Search Committee would interview the top 25 candidates on merit. “The Search Committee brings together experts from diverse fields, making it well-suited to assess candidates for the position of PHEC Chairperson,” he added.