LAHORE: Punjab government’s initial draft about Public Sector Universities (Amendment) Act-2020 has raised concern among stakeholders about the autonomy of the higher education institutions of the province.

There are 39 public and 27 private universities in the province being governed under their respective Acts. Several public universities are to be brought under the revised uniform Act.

A copy of the Public Sector Universities (Amendment) Act-2020 available with Dawn revealed that the government had proposed amendments in different sections/ clauses of the Acts of 29 universities by inserting new clauses about vice chancellors (VCs) tenure who shall deemed to be a civil servant of the Civil Servant Act 1973 and the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Act 2006.

One of the VCs of a public university said on the condition of anonymity that the new clause would tighten the grip of bureaucrats and politicians on the VC office.

No new legislation under process, claims minister

Another clause is about a search committee that will have the power to invite and interview a person, who has not applied for the post as such, but otherwise fulfill the basic eligibility and shortlisting criteria, who, in view of the committee, is suitable and appropriate for the position of the vice chancellor.

The VC said it was unnecessary to give the search committee unlimited power.

“If a person cannot apply for the post after seeing advertisement how he or she can be a suitable candidate for the post,” he questioned while adding the composition of the search committee should also be reviewed and all those members who had nothing to do with education should be excluded from it.

He said VC post had some devised terms and conditions for working and its salary and how anyone could be given more salary and why he or she should be given special status.

He said it would also give maximum power to a chief minister whether to accept the three shortlisted candidates for the posts or call for new interviews of the persons of his or her choice.

The emolument committee will consists of the finance minister (convener), minister of the administrative department, secretary of the administrative department (secretary of the committee), PHEC chairperson PHEC, finance secretary and two people from the relevant field, of established eminence and excellence, appointed by the chief minister for four years.

Each administrative department, having public sector universities within its ambit under Schedule II of the Rules of Business 2011, shall notify its own emolument committee or for that matter, more than one committee, if the department has more than one kind of universities under its ambit.

The VC said the committee would be an extra burden as these suggested members of the committee were already included in the syndicate and search committees of the universities.

Third clause included “The Chancellor shall, on recommendation of the PHEC and advice of the Chief Minister, approve Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each public sector university separately, in view of its peculiar challenges, goals and circumstances. The KPIs shall include, but not be limited to, minimum performance standards and any performance goals linked with extra incentives.

The KPIs shall be applicable for a term of two years at a time. The PHEC shall measure the performance of VCs of all public sector universities twice a year; and a report shall be submitted to the Chancellor and the Chief Minister for any action.

The VC said that the chancellor already had the powers to order an audit of any action of the VCs. It would be again squeezing the VC post and maintaining another threat on his working,” he said.

The fourth clause included about the Syndicate, where currently the VC is its chairman but the new Act proposed that the chancellor should on the advice of the chief minister, appoint the chairman of the syndicate of each public sector university from amongst the following a retired judge of Lahore High Court or Supreme Court of Pakistan, a retired civil servant, having retired in at least BS 21, former VCs of public universities in the province, who are not in the employ of anyone other than the government and incumbent VCs of public sector universities in the province.

It suggests that no person shall be appointed as chairman of more than two public universities in the province at the same time and no VC of a public sector university shall be the chairman of its syndicate.

The VC completely rejected appointing any bureaucrat, retired judge and retired VC as the chairman of the Syndicate.

“Yes the vice chancellor of the same university should not be the chairman of the Syndicate but a VC of another university could be appointed as chairman,” he suggested.

He said appointing a bureaucrat, retired judge and retired VC would undermine the authority and working of the incumbent VC. “How could a judge and bureaucrat could approve or disapprove and discuss the academic matters, including research articles and topic,” he said, adding appointing bureaucrat and a retired judge would ruin the quality of academics and already divided faculty of the universities would further result in destruction.

Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) Punjab Chapter president Prof Dr Mumtaz Anwar Chaudhry said the Act would end autonomy and increase political influence.

He said ending higher education institution’s autonomy would result in destabilising these institutions and the government was playing into the hands of a mafia who wanted to destroy public institutions.

HED secretary Zulfiqar Ghuman told Dawn that it was an initial document and they would discuss it with all stakeholders before presenting it in the assembly for approval.

He said they could not give a free hand to any VC and they were making VCs answerable for their actions.

He said how a VC could head Syndicate to give approval to his or her action. “It is an initial document and they will have to discuss it with all stakeholders before presenting it in the assembly,” he said.

However, Punjab Minister for Higher Education Raja Yassir Humayun Sarfraz tweeted “There is no new University act in process. I am surprised to see people protesting over a rejected proposal which was never signed by me. In-fact it was not even put up for consideration before me. There are many shelved proposals like this so no need to waste your energy!”

Though the minister is now declining to bring any act, he had announced, on record, to bring public sector universities uniform act on several occasions in the recent past.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2020