LAHORE: A majority of professors and members of the Academic Council at Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) in Multan have raised serious concerns regarding discrepancies in the recorded minutes of a recent council meeting.

Out of 116 council members, 80 signed a letter addressed to the secretary of the council who is also registrar of the university, urging for a correction in the records of the meeting held on Oct 16. They claimed that the recorded minutes misrepresent several critical resolutions and decisions made by the council.

The letter available with Dawn highlights that the recorded minutes inaccurately reflect the council’s decisions, particularly regarding the agenda on credit hours and faculty workload.

While the credit hours issue was deemed resolved, the council members had requested a vote on the faculty workload aspect.

Although the chair permitted voting, the council reached no consensus, leaving the matter unresolved.

Nonetheless, the members agreed on establishing a review committee to examine the workload issue further, stipulating that its findings be presented at the next Academic Council meeting.

According to the professors, the council did not authorise the vice chancellor to act independently on their behalf in the upcoming Syndicate meeting.

Of 116 Academic Council members, 80 want registrar to make correction

Another point of contention involved the proposed restructuring of seven university departments.

The professors argued that the minutes misrepresent both the council’s stance and the VC’s remarks.

While the council proposed a committee to review the restructuring plans, they did not endorse the vice chancellor’s independent decision-making on the matter.

Instead, they requested a thorough review by other governing bodies — namely, the Board of Study, Board of Faculty, and the Academic Council itself — before final recommendations are presented.

The professors emphasised that these inaccuracies could impede the Academic Council’s functionality. They called for the minutes to be corrected and recirculated to council members for approval, aligning with the council’s actual resolutions and discussions.

In response, Vice Chancellor Prof Zubair Iqbal described the professors’ observations as “routine matters” and assured that these concerns would be addressed in the next Academic Council meeting.

“We are committed to reviewing all the apprehensions raised by the professors and ensuring the minutes accurately reflect the council’s decisions,” he stated.

The situation at BZU highlighted the importance of accurate record-keeping and transparent decision-making within academic institutions, as faculty members were seeking to uphold procedural integrity and effective governance.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2024