QAU all set to get new VC

ISLAMABAD: Prof Dr Syed Muhammad Ali is soon to take charge of the office of the vice chancellor (VC) of Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), insiders told The News, adding that it is now a matter of days and not weeks. They said that Prof Ali is tying up loose ends at GC University as he is committed to realizing the projects he started.

At GC University, he was focused on faculty development and research elevation. Prof Sajid Awan, former director of NIHCR, says that Prof Ali has successfully established a niche for GC University and it is logical to hope that he will restore the lost sheen of the QAU.

However, QAU officials say ad-hocism prevails at QAU as each and every problem lands directly at the VC office because temporary heads of departments are not being taken seriously by employees and students.

Apart from loopholes in official mechanism, the most daunting task for the upcoming VC can be handling the faculty. The outgoing VC had faced tough resistance from Academic Staff Association (ASA) under the leadership of Dr Aqeel Bukhari that had rendered him virtually dysfunctional, not least in his last year in office.

The ASA is going have elections coming month. The current ASA wears a progressive face and if they make a repeat in the elections, they will continue struggling against closure of departments, increasing fees, favouritism in promotions that resulted into intervention by the HEC and financial irregularities that are under investigation.

These are the matters that will put the ASA and Prof Ali on the same page because he is a thorough academician and straightforward administrator. Prof Awan says that they welcome the new VC with hope for the best.