LAHORE: Litigation over the powers of the Punjab caretaker government has led to an inordinate delay in the appointment of vice chancellors in 25 public sector universities besides creating academic and administrative problems.

The Higher Education Department (HED) is currently administering 34 public sector universities of the province.

The tenure of regular VCs of 16 universities of the province expired more than a year ago and of six other universities would fall vacant by the end of this calendar year. The government had established three new universities where the appointment of VCs is also required.

All these universities are either being run by Pro-vice chancellors or VCs on additional/ acting charge basis.

The HED had placed the matter in the constitution of search committees to initiate the process of appointment of VCs after the formation of caretaker government in Punjab.

The caretaker provincial cabinet had approved four search committees for appointment of 24 VCs of public sector universities in its 12th meeting held on March 31, 2023.

The HED had advertised the vacant post of vice chancellors on April 21, 2023.

Interviews for the post of VCs of three specialised universities were conducted on May 22 to 24, whereas, the interviews of general universities were scheduled on May 25.

However, following four writ petitions were filed against the entire process with pleas that as per Election Act, 2017, the caretaker government is not empowered to make appointments on regular posts.

The Lahore High Court had stayed the process of appointment of VCs in the universities.

The public sector universities were being run on a stopgap arrangement after the court suspended the process of appointment of VCs.

An HED official on condition of anonymity told Dawn that a LHC two-member bench had overturned a stay order of the Bahawalpur Bench and the department was pursuing other cases in the court.

He said the HED would promptly resume the appointment process after the cancellation of remaining three stay orders.

Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed told this reporter that he had discussed the matter with Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman and he expressed concern over the situation.

He said the process of appointment of VCs was halted as the courts had stayed the process due to the issue of domain of the caretaker government.

He said the universities were suffering from administrative and academic problems for not having regular VCs and it would also result in compromising the quality of education.

He said the government should appoint VCs in universities where there were no legal issues.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2023