LAHORE: The Punjab University Academic Staff Association (PUASA) has decided to hold a series of demonstrations to protest against the move of the bureaucracy to reduce the tenure of public sector universities’ vice chancellors to two years.

“This move is nothing but a conspiracy against higher education and the teachers will resist it,” said PUASA Acting President Prof Dr Abid Hussain Chaudhry and Secretary Dr Mahboob Hussain on Sunday.

Dr Chaudhry said some bureaucrats had been creating hurdles in the appointment of vice chancellors of 10 public sector universities by misguiding the chief minister since May this year.

“The bureaucracy first created doubts about the criteria for the selection of VCs as well as the candidates shortlisted after the process, then a proposal was floated to re-advertise the posts and now a move has been launched to cut VCs tenure,” he said.

Dr Hussain said the bureaucracy wanted to create its hegemony in the public sector universities by ruining academic and research culture there.

“Why hasn’t the bureaucracy advised the government to consider PPP’s proposal to cut assemblies tenure from five to four years,” he remarked.

Delay in appointment of the VCs of 10 universities in Punjab has started affecting the working of these institutions. Administrative issues have also started emerging and there has also been concern among teaching and non-teaching staff of these universities over the situation.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2015

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