OKARA: The routine working of the University of Okara has been affected after the charge of acting vice chancellor (VC) expired two months ago.

Teachers and students say the university has been facing problems because of the lack of release of finances for daily expenditures, maintenance works and security requirements. Administrative issues such as the joining and relieving of the staff are stuck while up to 60 visiting lecturers could not get approval for their academic visits.

As the VC is the signatory authority, correspondence between and the university and the Higher Education Department is not being done because of the vacant VC office.

Also, varsity’s finance and planning committee has yet to be constituted.

The most pressing problem because of the absence of a regular VC is the non-formation of the board of advanced studies. When the university was notified on April 1, 2016, the charge of acting VC was handed over to Prof Dr Rauf-i-Azam, the University of Education VC.

The charge remained with him till Nov 25. He framed the rules and regulations of the university and got them approved by the chancellor committee. The university staff and students demanded that Governor Rafiq Rijwana and Punjab Higher Education Department Minister Syed Raza Ali Gilani appoint the VC.

Published in Dawn February 7th, 2017