HED apprised of reservations about VCs’ criteria

LAHORE: Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) has submitted reservations and suggestions to Higher Education Department on eligibility criteria regarding appointment of Vice-Chancellors (VCs) at public sector universities.

According to a press release in its letter addressed to HED secretary, FAPUASA Punjab President Prof Dr Javed Ahmad, Central Vice-President Prof Dr Shoaib Ahmed, UET TSA President Prof Dr Sohail Aftab Qureshi, Vice-President Prof Dr Zafar Noon, PU syndicate members Prof Dr Sajid Rashid and Dr Mahboob Hussain and UET Syndicate Member Prof Dr Abdul Sattar Shaker submitted that the new eligibility criteria had ignored some very basic and vital parameters of measurement of professional excellence of an academic leader.

For instance, it said, no marks were given for post-doc experience, no credit for PhD and MPhil research supervision, no weightage was given for university level teaching experience, no credit for membership/fellowship of national/international academic organisations/bodies and no weightage for academic research projects was given in the new criteria.

FAPUASA also observed overall in the criteria space had been created for entry of non-academic managers which was not acceptable. They said the management experience must be relevant to academic/research experience.

The letter, pointing out technical deficiencies, stated that the basic qualification for the post of VC must be PhD in relevant field of university instead of preferably PhD.

FAPUASA pointed out that no funding agency had extended Rs500 million grant to individuals from academic/research organisations.

They said weightage must be given to establishing/restructuring academic organisations instead of controversially approved criteria of non-academic organisations; otherwise, irrelevant professionals would get shortlisted.

FAPUASA said that the criteria was contemptuous and against the spirit of the law laid down on the appointment of VC in the public sector universities.

They said the search committee formation was also against the judgment of the Lahore High Court on the qualification and the appointment of the search committee.