KARACHI: Meeting on new universities ordinance today
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Aug 29: A meeting of the vice chancellors of the universities in the province will be held here on August 30 to review and propose changes — if needed — to the model law for universities of the country.
Sources in the government universities said that the meeting is beingconvened to get advice and input for the draft Model University Ordinance, being finalized by the steering committee on higher education, and the moot would be presided over by the Sindh governor.
It was learnt that the draft — after a review by high level committees in all the provinces — is likely to be placed before the federal cabinet on Sept 4. Though there is resentment and reservations harboured by both teachers and students in regard to the new varsities ordinance, the government intends to implement the new laws pertaining to universities latest by Sept 30, added a source.
It was further said that certain changes have been suggested in the first document on higher education reforms prepared by the steering committee. The idea of constituting a governing board at the public sector universities has been dropped, and universities should continue with their prime statutory body — the senate — with certain structural modifications.
According to the plan, now the senate at a university would comprise 17 members, with the chancellor or governor as its chairman. The chancellor would also appoint a deputy chairman of the senate, while other members would be as follows: vice chancellor of the university; one official not lower than the rank of additional secretary of the education department or any other department relevant to the special focus of the university; Five persons from society at large being persons of distinction in the fields of administration, management, education, academics, law, accountancy, medicine, fine art, architecture, agriculture, science, technology and engineering; one person from the alumni of the university concerned; two persons from the teaching community of the university concerned; one person from the academic community of the province in which the university is located, (other than a member of the university concerned at the level of professor or principal of a college); two persons from the academic community based in other provinces at the level of a professor or principal of a college and one person nominated by the newly formed higher education commission.
It has been suggested by the steering committee that the selection boards should be withdrawn from universities, while the senate should be entrusted with the jobs pertaining to appointments at the universities.
The syndicate of the university is proposed to comprise of the Vice chancellor as chairman, all deans of the university concerned, three professors, principals of the constituents colleges (wherever applicable), registrar, treasurers and the controller of examinations.
It was learnt that following representations from the provincial authorities, it was agreed at the higher level that the commission on higher education would not directly be involved in administrative measures at universities, but would propose actions which would be finally implemented or disapproved by the provincial governors, who are the chancellors of the public sector universities in the provinces.
It was also agreed that the proposed ordinance would be implemented in phases, and initially, one or two universities would be asked to volunteer under the new higher education policies of the government. The government has allocated a significant amount of money for reforms, and those universities which would implement the new system would be provided with a huge grant.
A source at one of the public sector universities said that universities had also been asked to furnish comments on the latest draft varsity model ordinance for the Sept 30 meeting at the Governor’s House.
