Quaid-i-Azam University faces administrative paralysis amid delay in vice-chancellor appointment

ISLAMABAD: Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) has been facing a prolonged administrative impasse as the post of vice-chancellor has remained vacant for the past two months, affecting students, faculty members and the institution’s financial affairs.

According to a QAU official, more than 1,200 degrees are currently pending because they cannot be issued without the vice-chancellor’s signature. The official said the university does not have even an acting vice-chancellor at present, leaving a range of important administrative matters unresolved for the last two months.

Without the signature of the VC we can’t issue degrees. Currently, over 1,200 degrees are pending.

The previous vice-chancellor, Prof Dr Niaz Ahmed Akhtar, stepped down from the position on February 6 after being appointed chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC). Since then, the university has continued to function without either a regular or acting vice-chancellor.

The absence of a vice-chancellor has also stalled key institutional processes. A university official said syndicate meetings, selection board meetings and several other meetings could not be convened without a vice-chancellor in office.

Let alone a regular VC, we don’t even have an acting VC.

Students say the delay is directly affecting their academic and professional plans. One student, who requested anonymity, said they had completed graduation last year and wanted to apply to a university abroad but had been unable to obtain the degree. The student said their department had told them that degrees could not be issued until a vice-chancellor was appointed.

I completed my graduation last year and now want to apply to a university abroad, but I am unable to get my degree. Our career is at stake. Whenever I contacted my department, they said that until a VC is appointed, degrees can’t be issued.

Visiting faculty members are also awaiting payment of long-pending dues. More than 150 visiting faculty members have not been paid for the last two years. A visiting faculty member said that while the university had earlier been facing a funding problem and some federal funding had been released months ago, there was now no vice-chancellor available to approve salaries.

Earlier, the university was facing a funding issue. Some months ago, the federal government released some funding, but now there is no VC to sign off on our salaries.

The university is also dealing with broader financial difficulties. A QAU official said the government had allocated Rs2 billion last year as a bailout package, but only Rs500 million had been released so far. The official said appointing a vice-chancellor was necessary so the university could pursue the matter of the remaining funds with the government.

The appointment of a VC is imperative to take up the issue of funding with the government to get the remaining amount of the bailout package.

Under the rules, the president of Pakistan, in the capacity of chancellor, is the competent authority to appoint an acting vice-chancellor until a regular appointment is made. The senior dean or the most senior professor of the university is supposed to be assigned the acting charge.

According to officials, the education ministry had sent a summary some weeks ago containing three names of educationists to the federal government for the acting charge. An official source said the President’s Office was aware of the matter and that two senior deans were interviewed at the Presidency on Thursday for the acting assignment.

The President’s Office is cognisant of this issue and hopefully this matter will be resolved in the next few days, as on Thursday, two senior deans were interviewed at the Presidency for the acting charge.

Some university officials also voiced concern over what they described as an unusually long delay in assigning acting charge, saying it could indicate that the appointment of a regular vice-chancellor may also take more time. The process for the regular appointment, has not yet been initiated.