Sindh govt eases qualification criteria for VC post, removes domicile requirement

The Sindh government has reduced the qualification requirements for the appointment of vice chancellors to government universities and has also removed the Sindh domicile requirement.

In an advertisement for vice chancellor positions at the Dow University of Medical and Health Sciences, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University Skrand and other universities, the number of required research publications for candidates has been reduced from 15 to 10, despite the Higher Education Commission (HEC) requiring 15 research publications for a professor.

Additionally, the advertisement has removed the mandatory PhD requirement, making it preferable instead. This change appears to accommodate bureaucratic candidates, as master’s degree holders in Grade 21 have now been declared eligible.

The maximum age limit has been set at 62 years, whereas in Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the federal government, and Azad Jammu & Kashmir, the age limit is 65 years. According to the advertisement, the required administrative experence inGrade 17 or above has been reduced to 10 years, while the teaching experience has been completely omitted. Moreover, cadre officers applying based on their civil service experience will be required to resign or retire from their service upon selection as vice chancellor.

The deadline for the submission of applications has been set for March 28. President Asif Ali Zardari had earlier directed the chief minister of Sindh via a letter to remove the Sindh domicile requirement for the vice chancellor’s position.

Candidates must have 15 years of experience in intellectual thought, civil society, research, or administrative leadership, along with a record of outstanding research and publications (minimum in HEC-recognised journals).