ISLAMABAD: The country’s top ranked educational institution, Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) is currently being run without any regular or temporary vice chancellor (VC) as the education ministry has failed to make appointments on time. This has caused administrative and academic issues.
QAU VC Dr Mohammad Ali was the last VC, who completed his four-year tenure on Sept 21 and since then, the office of the VC has been lying vacant and the university has been facing several administrative issues, a source said.
“There is a complete vacuum in the absence of an acting and regular VC. Around 400 students, who have completed their degrees are suffering as we are unable to issue their degrees without the signature of the VC. Similarly, our meeting of the advance studies and research board to review progress of research work of PhD and MPhil scholars also cannot take place without the VC,” said a senior official of QAU.
Speaking to Dawn on Thursday, he said that since the VC acts as the university’s financial officer as well, “our financial matters are also on halt”. The university has no competent authority to make liaison with other government organisations.
Meanwhile, the process of appointments of regular VC QAU, VC of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) and rector of International Islamic University (IIUI) has been facing delay as well as the interview process is yet to be completed.
Sources said that as per rules and tradition, the senior most dean of the university should have been given charge of the acting VC.
This time, they said that the ministry did not give charge to the senior dean, apparently, because of his open opposition to the Bhara Kahu bypass project. Whereas, the ministry and government also did not ask any other faculty members to run the affairs of QAU till the appointment of a regular VC.
On the other hand, the VC of Allama Iqbal Open University Dr Ziaul Qayyum completed his tenure last month and the education ministry immediately gave look after charge to a senior faculty member.
However, the ministry last month, had moved a summary to the Prime Minister’s Office to give temporary charge of VC QAU to temporary executive director of HEC Dr Shaista Sohail, but no further development come to the fore on this summary.
QAU faculty members have been demanding the government to appoint someone as acting VC till the appointment of a regular one. A month has passed since the tenure of vice chancellor of QAU ended.
The government is yet to appoint an acting VC as routine work is piling up, a member of the QAU faculty Prof Dr Ilhan Niaz said.
He expressed hope that HEC, the ministry, PMO and President Dr Arif Alvi would swiftly address the matter. Another alumni of QAU Ahsar Awan tweeted that hundreds of students were waiting for degrees and many visiting teachers were waiting for their salaries.
A search committee headed by Education Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain conducted interviews a couple of week ago of a number of candidates out of a list of 108 educational experts.
Interviews of the remaining candidates will be conducted in the next week. An officer of the education ministry said that the education minister and secretary (education) are currently out of the country on official tours. “Once they return, we will restart the process of interviews,” said an official of the ministry.
