LAHORE: `Inordinate` delay in the appointment of the vice chancellor has almost brought to a halt the ongoing admission process of talented but needy students to the Government College University, Lahore, forcing the alumni of the prestigious institution to remind the chief minister to immediately appoint head of his alma mater.

`Keeping in view that the admissions process is under way in the university, presence of the vice chancellor is inevitable for ensuring transparency, merit and above all financial assistance to the deserving students,` an executive body member of Old Ravians Union(ORU) told Dawn on Wednesday.

`It is a matter of great concern among Old Ravians, both at home and abroad, that their alma mater has been without a VC for the last more than three weeks, ORU President Kamran Lashari said.

Delay in the appointment of the VC has certainly hampered the routine administrative and academic work besides putting at stake the repute and prestige of the institution.

`Now the future of many top students of the country is at stake as sanction by the VC is mandatory under the GCU Act for various administrative and financial measures, needed to be taken at this stage,` said Mr Lashari.

ORU Vice President Tayyab Rizvi and General Secretary Mian Muhammad Ahmad Chacharr said the absence of VC raised several legal questions. They also opposed the idea to reduce the term of a vice chancellor from four to two years.`The situation puts a question mark on every act taken by the academic and administrative heads in the absence of VC. Most of the administrative matters of the university have already lying pending,` said Rizvi.

`It is feared that the hard working staff and faculty members of the university may not get their next salary on time if the VC is not appointed immediately,` said Chachcharr.

ORU Honorary Secretary Dr Khalid Manzoor Butt said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif`s love for his alma mater was undoubted.

`Just three years ago, Shahbaz Sharif, on the request of the ORU, got the design of Metro route changed to avoid demolition of the historical Gardenia of the GCU.

Now, once again, Old Ravians expect same kind of attention from the chief minister for his alma mater,` said Dr Butt.

The GCU Endowment Fund Trust, which funded the fee of hun-dreds of students from donations of Old Ravians, was also bearing loss as the trust was unable to make several investments due to the absence of VC.

ORU executive members Naeem Tahir, Fiaq Sadiq and Dr Basit said Old Ravians from the United Kingdom and other parts of the world also conveyed their concern over absence of head of the institution through emails and letters, adding that these letters should be published in the prestigious publications of GCU i.e. The Gazette and The Ravi.

Meanwhile, the merit lists of students admitted on the basis of cocurricular and sports activities were not displayed as scheduled for Wednesday.

A source in the GCU admission committee said the administration after detailed deliberations decided to hold the lists till appointment of new VC, while continuing open merit admissions programme as scheduled.