LAHORE: The Punjab Higher Education Department (HED) on Friday cautioned vice chancellors of public sector universities of the province, who are set to retire in less than six months, against making appointments and holding selection boards.

“All the vice chancellors/registrars, public sector universities of Punjab should ban recruitment in universities where remaining tenure of vice chancellors is less than six months and where acting vice chancellors have been assigned to look after charge,” an HED notification to all vice chancellors of the province stated. A copy of the notification is available with Dawn.

The notification, signed by the section officer (universities), stated that a reference had been sent to Governor/Chancellor Chaudhry Sarwar to ban recruitments in universities and they were waiting direction from the chancellor’s office.

It further states, “I am directed to inform that the Higher Education Department has submitted a reference/case to the honorable governor/chancellor seeking advice/directions on the recruitment of faculty and staff in universities where remaining tenure of vice chancellors is less than six months and where acting vice chancellors have been assigned to look after charge as a stopgap arrangement till the appointment of permanent vice chancellors. I am further directed to inform that the process of recruitment/meetings of selection boards may be stopped/postponed forthwith till the issuance of advice/directions from the office of chancellor.”

One of the vice chancellors, whose tenure ends within six months, requesting anonymity, told Dawn that the department had issued a letter to ban recruitment and holding of selection boards without seeking approval from the chancellor, hence the VCs were not bound to follow the directions till a final decision. “Imposing a ban on recruitments and holding of selection boards six months before the end of the tenure of the VC is like slashing the tenure from four years to three and a half years,” he added.

He further said that they had advertised the posts and received thousands of applications. “The university spent millions of rupees on advertisements. The applicants had also paid fee to apply for the posts and sat tests so how can they stop the process now?” he questioned.

Higher Education Special Secretary Sajid Zafar told Dawn that the directions and letter were to caution the vice chancellors, who were retiring in a month or two. The department would receive approval from the chancellor in a day or two. He added that the VCs advertising the posts in the last days of their tenure was generating suspicion, and acting VCs were not even allowed to recruit.

A senior HED official on condition of anonymity told Dawn that they had checked that the VCs, who were retiring in a month or two, had advertised the posts and called meetings of selection boards. The department had received several complaints from the public alleging that these selection boards and recruitments were being held to get benefits for their ‘favourite’ candidates.

“The department also checked that in the past the VCs held selection boards and started recruitments twice during their tenures: in the very first year of assuming charge and then during the last few months to oblige their dear ones,” he claimed.

Meanwhile, nine public sector universities were functioning without regular VCs and a stopgap arrangement had been made to continue the academic and administrative affairs there.

The universities included Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU), Multan; Islamia University, Bahawalpur (IUB); University of Gujrat; University of Narowal; Government College University, Faisalabad (GCUF); Women University, Multan; Women University, Sialkot; Government College Women University, Faisalabad; and Lahore College for Women University.

The search committee to appoint VCs had interviewed 200 applicants for general category universities, including BZU, IUB, universities of Gujrat and Narowal and GCUF. It sent a panel of top three applicants each to Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar for their appointments and the summaries were forwarded to the law department.

Last month, the government had appointed Women University Swabi VC Prof Dr Khanzadi Fatima Khattak as VC of the Government College for Women University, Faisalabad and University of Punjab Institute of Administrative Sciences 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. Dr Jabeen had tendered her resignation from the post even before joining and Dr Khattak had yet to join.

The government had recently appointed Dr Syed Mansoor Sarwar as the VC of University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore; Prof Dr Muhammad Inayatullah Khan at UET, Taxila; and Prof Dr Kanwal Amin University of Home Economics, Lahore.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2019