PESHAWAR: The academic search committee will hold interviews for the long-awaited appointment of vice-chancellors to eight public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Nov 17 and 18.

The tenure of the last regular VCs of those universities had expired in June and July, and the pro-vice chancellors have been handling the affairs of the VC offices since then.

The universities include University of Peshawar, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, University of Science and Technology Peshawar, Shuhada-e-Army Public School University of Technology Nowshera, University of Science and Technology Bannu, Kohat University of Science and Technology, University of Swabi, and Bacha Khan University, Charsadda.

Sources said currently, the province’s 13 public sector universities had been functioning without regular VCs, including eight universities in question and Islamia College University Peshawar, Fata University, Khyber Medical University Peshawar, and Pak-Austria University Haripur.

Posts fell vacant in June and July

The vacancies were advertised in Jan this year almost six months before the completion of the tenure of the incumbent VCs.

The universities’ law says the VC appointment process should begin six months prior to the end of the tenure of the incumbents in the ‘best interest’ of the universities.

According to Section 12(3) of the KPUA, the process of selection of a new vice-chancellor shall be initiated six months prior to the expiration of the existing term of the incumbent.

Under the law, the six months period has been given to the government to complete the process for the VC appointment.

However, the authorities, including higher education department and academic search committee, have failed to do so.

After the advertisement of the vacant positions in Jan, around 200 candidates applied for the posts by submitting their curriculum vitae to the higher education department, sources said.

They said in the initial scrutiny conducted by the HED, the applications of 120 candidates were forwarded to the academic search committee for the short-listing of candidates.

The sources said the search committee led by noted scientist and former federal minister for science and technology Dr Attaur Rehman shortlisted 60 candidates for interview to fill top vacancies in eight universities.

Other members of the committee include Lums dean Prof Arif Nazeer Butt, former deputy chairman of Planning Commission Dr Akram Shaikh, rector of the Ripha University Dr GM Miana, Haripur University VC Prof Anwarul Hasan Gilani and HED secretary Daud Khan.

The interviews will be conducted by the committee in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House, Islamabad, sources said, adding that candidates from outside the country will be interviewed through video-conferencing.

Under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universities Act, 2012, the academic search committee will recommend a panel of three candidates for the every vacant VC post after interviewing candidates.

The HED will forward the recommended panel of candidates to the chief minister to advise the governor/chancellor to appoint his recommended candidate as the VC.

Section 12 of the law states, “The Vice-Chancellor shall be appointed by the Chancellor on the advice of Government from a panel of three candidates recommended by the Academic search committee.”

If the chancellor doesn’t agree with the advice given to him by the chief minister, he or she can return the panel of the shortlisted candidates for reconsideration to the latter once in the next 15 days. The chancellor has to act on the advice rendered after reconsideration within 10 days.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2020