GUJRAT: The Punjab government has given the additional charge of the vice chancellor (VC) of the University of Engineering and Technology, Rasul, Mandi Bahauddin, to the acting VC of the University of Gujrat (UoG), Professor Dr Faheem Malik, for six months.

UoG registrar Dr Tahir Aqeel, controller examination Dr Danish and treasurer Abdul Waheed Butt have also been given the additional charge of the posts at the Rasul university they are holding at the UoG. They all will hold the posts until the appointment of regular incumbents at the newly established university.

Some academics have expressed surprise over the move as the VCs having degrees in engineering and technology would often head such universities. There are five engineering universities of public sector in Punjab where all the serving VCs are the engineers. They said that even the acting VC of the UET Taxila was an engineer but it was not the case with the Rasul university as a professor of Zoology has been given the post.

The UoG itself, they argued, was functioning under temporary arrangement as key posts like VC, registrar, controller examination, director QEC, director student affairs and treasurer are vacant for the last almost eight months to two years.

The secretary Industries, Commerce Investment and Skill Development Department has issued a notification in this regard after approval from Punjab governor/chancellor of Rasul university.

The upgrade of the Rasul College of Technology, Mandi Bahauddin, had been a long standing demand of the people of Gujrat and Sargodha.

In 2014, the then chief minister had announced the upgrade of the Rasul college to the university. It was established by the PML-N government with the approval of the Punjab University of Technology Rasul (PUT) Act 2018 on May 24, 2018.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2019