Mashal’s murder expedites process of appointing VCs of KP varsities

ISLAMABAD: Given the criticism by the various quarters over the administrative failure that resulted in tragic lynching of a young student Mashal Khan of the Higher Education Department of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has finally decided to complete the process of appointment of the vice-chancellor (VC) in Abdul Wali Khan University (Mardan) on fast-track basis, sources told The News here on Sunday.

Sources said the slot of VC Mardan’s Abdul Wali Khan University has been lying vacant since last month and according to the rules the process for appointment of new VC must be initiated six months before the expiry of tenure of the incumbent vice-chancellor.

Sources said the Academic Search Committee has so far only short listed 25 names out of total 40 applicants for the post and their interviews are yet to be held. 

Advisor to the KP Chief Minister for Higher Education Mushtaq Ghani said the Academic Search Committee would recommend three names for the post of the vice-chancellor after which the summary would be sent to KP chief minister Pervaiz Khattak through the Higher Education Department.   "The KP chief minister would select one name from three recommended and it would be sent to the KP Governor for formal approval," he said. 

As far as appointment of VCs in nine other public sector universities is concerned, he said the process of appointing the vice-chance llors in these universities is also nearing completion as he has already forwarded the summary carrying 27 names--three names for each university--to the KP chief minister who would select names for the posts of the vice-chancellors and send them to the KP governor for final approval to complete the process.

The sources said despite the fact that the VCs of nine public sector universities completed their tenure last year the KP government had miserably failed to initiate the process of appointment of new VCs on time. 

The KP's Higher Education Department published an advertisement for the posts of vice-chancellors in nine public sector universities on September 28,2016 including Charsadda’s Bacha Khan University, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Nowshera’s Shuhada-e-Army Public School University of Technology, Swabi University, Peshawar University, Haripur University, Bannu University of Science and Technology, Peshawar University of Engineering and Technology and Karak’s Khushal Khan Khattak University.

Headed by former Federal Minister for Science and Technology Dr Atta-ur-Rehman the Academic Search Committee short listed the candidates and held interviews after which it sent a summary carrying recommended names to the Higher Education Department. 

The Academic Search Committee comprised former Governor of State Bank of Pakistan Dr. Ishrat Hussain; Rector of Ripha University Dr. G. M. Miana; Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) Vice-Chancellor Dr Sohail Naqvi; Dean of LUMS Prof. Arif Nazeer Butt, former Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of Pakistan Dr. Akram Shaikh and HED secretary Zafar Ali Shah.

Mushtaq Ghani said new VCs in the public sector universities in the KP province would soon be appointed and they would put in their best efforts to ensure the higher education institutions provide proper guidelines to the students to make them better and responsible citizens.