- HEC appoints Dr Aslam to run university’s affairs until a permanent VC is appointed
- Faculty members write to governor for immediate appointment of regular VC
After functioning without a vice chancellor (VC) for more than a month, an acting VC was appointed on Wednesday to look after the affairs of the Government College University (GCU).
Dr Muhammad Aslam, one of the senior most professors of the varsity, will hold the office of the VC till the appointment of a regular VC, according to a notification issued by the Higher Education Department (HED).
It is interesting to note that Dr Aslam came to the university to perform his routine duty as Head of Mathematics Department but he was handed the notification stating his appointment as acting VC.
Dr Hamid Mukhtar, general secretary of GCU Academic Staff Association (ASA), told Pakistan Today these kind of ad-hoc steps are detrimental for the already deteriorating status of higher education in the universities.
It is pertinent to mention here that in a GCU Syndicate meeting held on August 22, some financial powers were delegated to Dean of Sciences Dr Islamullah Khan in order to manage and dispose of urgent affairs of the university.
In related development, academic heads of the GCU have written a letter to the Punjab governor who is also the chancellor of the varsity to appoint permanent VC to avoid the institution from further embarrassment.
According to some sources in the university, the acting VC has been appointed to hire contract-based employees as the university is short of staff and faculty and the new session is going to kick off from next week.
Senior faculty members were bewildered when they came to know of the appointment of an acting VC after a delay of more than a month.
“If an acting appointment had to be made, than it could have been done a month before,” said the faculty members while talking to Pakistan Today on condition of anonymity.
It is pertinent to mention here that the admissions of about 100 students on sports basis were at stake because they were put on hold due to non-availability of a VC. The matter of these students will come under discussion in a meeting to be chaired by the newly appointed acting VC, as claimed by sources.
“I hope that the government will appoint the regular VC soon and till then I will put in my utmost sincere efforts to ensure the smooth working of the university,” said Prof Aslam, while chairing a meeting of academic and administrative heads after assuming charge as acting VC of GCU. Dr Aslam has been teaching at the GCU for the last twenty years and been serving as the head of Mathematics Department since 2011.
Dr Aslam is reaching the age of superannuation and is going to retire in a month.