LAHORE: The Punjab Higher Education Department (HED) has appointed Prof Dr Kanwal Amin as Vice Chancellor of University of Home Economics, Lahore.

Sources claimed that Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar approved appointment of Ms Amin as vice chancellor and a summary to the effect was sent to the Governor House for issuing a notification.

Eleven public sector universities have been working without regular vice chancellors in the province for the last two years or so.

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government had established search committees to shortlist and interview candidates for the posts of VCs in different universities. The committees had completed interviews of candidates for the posts of VCs in women universities in Multan, Faisalabad and Sialkot. Later, another committee also completed interviews for the post of VCs in specialised universities including University of Engineering and Technology Lahore and Taxila.

Search panel has finalised three candidates for PHEC head

Earlier, the government had appointed Women University Swabi VC Prof Dr Khanzadi Fatima Khattak as VC of the Government College for Women University, Faisalabad, and Institute of Administrative Sciences, University of Punjab, Director Prof Dr Nasira Jabeen as VC of the Government College for Women University, Sialkot. Both VCs had been appointed for a full term of four years last week.

Two days ago, Prof Dr Nasira Jabeen, had tendered her resignation before joining the post.

HED Additional Secretary Tariq Bhatti told Dawn that Ms Jabeen would have to send her resignation to the higher education department but she had not sent it to them.

He said Ms Jabeen was earlier willing to join the post in Sialkot and he did not know why she had tendered the resignation.

He said the candidate on the second position in the three names sent to the CM office could be appointed VC of Women University Sialkot.

PHEC: The search committee to shortlist and interview the candidates for the post of chairperson of the Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) had sent a summary comprising top three candidates to the CM office for appointing anyone of them for the post.

One of the member of the search committee on condition of anonymity told Dawn that they had finalised three candidates for the post of chairperson of the PHEC and the process of appointment of a permanent head of the commission has entered its final stage.

He said they had suggested three people unanimously for the post including COMSATS Islamabad Faculty of Science Dean Prof Dr Arshad Saleem Bhatti, University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Ashraf and University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore former VC Dr Fazal Ahmad Khalid.

He said the CM office would grant approval for the appointment.

He said some of the candidates, who were not shortlisted for the post of chairperson of PHEC, had lodged a complaint that they were not called for interview as they were above the age of 65.

He said the committee had addressed the grievances of the candidates and shortlisting was done on the basis of publications and not on age basis.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2019