GCU additional registrar assigned charge of look after registrar

LAHORE

On the recommendations of Government College University (GCU) syndicate, the Punjab Governor/Chancellor has assigned the look after charge of the post of varsity’s Registrar to the Additional Registrar.

Higher Education Department (HED) Punjab formally issued orders in this regard on August 25, according to which GCU Additional Registrar Saboor Ahmad Khan has been assigned the look after charge of the post of registrar “till appointment of a whole time incumbent.”

Sources said the GCU syndicate meeting held in June this year had asked the former registrar Dr Muhammad Akhyar Farrukh to either keep the administrative post or the teaching post since as per Tenure Track Statutes of the federal Higher Education Commission (HEC), he could not hold the two posts. The sources said Dr Akhyar contested that since Tenure Track Statutes of the GCU were not approved by the governor/ chancellor his post as registrar was not in violation of the HEC statutes. 

It is pertinent to mention here that last year in anticipation of the governor’s approval the GCU Vice-Chancellor Dr Hassan Amir Shah had assigned charge of the post of registrar to the senior most additional registrar Saboor Ahmad Khan.

However, this invited reaction from the office of the chancellor and the notification was withdrawn. 

The sources said as the implementation of the tenure track statutes was taken up seriously by the HEC later the GCU administration placed the matter before the syndicate. They added Dr Akhyar communicated the syndicate decision to the chancellor but didn’t hear back. They said, meanwhile, the chancellor approved the look after charge and made it clear that Dr Akhyar could hold only the teaching post.

It is also pertinent to mention here that earlier this year the federal Higher Education Commission had directed all public sector universities to be watchful vis-à-vis faculty members serving on tenure track and still occupying administrative posts. 

The HEC had directed the institutes not to count the period of such faculty members (serving on administrative posts) towards their tenure track service and further clarified such individuals are not eligible to draw Tenure Track System (TTS) salaries.

This caused quite a stir among the academic circles and the universities are still confused as to how to go about this.

At many varsities, the TTS faculty members have still been occupying administrative posts.

HEC chairperson Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, however, said the universities were seriously working vis-à-vis streamlining the TTS related issues. He said a committee headed by LUMS Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Sohail H. Naqvi had also been formed to resolve the issue.

A GCU official when contacted, said Dr Akhyar Farrukh had relinquished the charge of the post of registrar following the chancellor’s orders.

He added the university was also working fast towards appointment of a whole time incumbent as per directions of the chancellor.