LAHORE: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has rejected the request of the caretaker Punjab government to appoint vice chancellors and recruit staff in the public sector universities of the province, leaving 27 out of 34 varsities without regular heads.An ECP notification says the caretaker government is not authorised to make appointments on regular posts as per the Election Act, 2017. The notification came after the Punjab Service and General Administration Department (S&GAD) approached the ECP for permission to fillthe vacant posts of vice chancellors and staff in the universities in the province.

The situation has raised serious concerns about the academic and administrative difficulties faced by these universities in the absence of VCs.

In some cases, the tenure of regular vice chancellors had expired over a year ago, while in other universities for the last two to three months. Three new universities recently established by the government also required the appointment of vice chancellors, further aggravating the situation.

These universities are being managed either by pro-vice chancellors or VCs on additional/acting charge basis.

Earlier, the Higher Education Department (HED) had initiated the process of appointment of VCs after the formation of the caretaker government in Punjab.

The caretaker provincial cabinet had approved four search committees for the appointment of 24 VCs of the public sector universities in its 12th meeting held onMarch 31, 2023. The HED had advertised the vacant VC posts on April 21, 2023 and conducted interviews for the top slots at three specialised universities on May 22 to 24.

However, the process was halted after four writ petitions were filed in the Lahore High Court, challenging the authority of the caretaker government to make appointments against the regular posts.

The Lahore High Court had stayed the process of VCs appointment in the universities, pending the ECP decision. The public sector universities have been running with stopgap arrangements after the court suspended the process of VCs appointment.

Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed told Dawn that he was alarmed over the situation of the universities working without regular VCs.

He said that he had discussed the matter with Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman and urged him to resolve the issue as soon as possible. He said the universities were facing administrative and academic problems for not having regular VCs and it would also affect the quality of education at these institutions.

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

He said the HEC was ready to facilitate the appointment process and ensure transparency and merit in the VCs` selection.

He said the HEC was committed to improving the standards of higher education in the country.-Imran Gabol