Immediate hiring of vice chancellors ordered in KP

PESHAWAR: In order to fill the vacant posts of vice chancellors in public sector universities, caretaker Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Syed Arshad Hussain Shah has directed the concerned authorities to complete the composition of the search committee on an emergency basis.

He underlined the need to give special consideration to the administrative skills of candidates along with merit and other legal requirements for the appointment of vice chancellors.

The caretaker chief minister emphasized the need to promote research activities in line with international standards and market requirements, and directed the quarters concerned to determine the research priorities for this purpose. He also directed them to review the financial problems faced by universities and come up with a realistic report to this effect.

“We have to take concrete steps to make our higher educational institutions sustainable and self-reliant,” he remarked, adding we need to develop proper financial plans for this purpose; and implement in letter and spirit. He stated this while presiding over a meeting regarding reforms in higher education sector.

The chief minister said elementary and secondary educational institutions were playing an important role as feeders for higher educational institutions, and that’s why education system at these level also need to be aligned with the priorities of higher educational institutions.

The meeting agreed in principle with the proposal to improve the procedure for appointment of the chairmen and controllers of education boards in the province. However, the chief minister directed the concerned authorities to come up with final proposal in consultation with all the stakeholders.

The participants also agreed in principle to the proposal regarding encouragement of the vice chancellors and allied staff for holding market-based research projects and decided that a cell already established at higher education department for the purpose will be strengthened. It was also agreed in the meeting to have close contact with the relevant authorities in the embassies with the purpose to prepare human power in line with the demand of modern markets abroad.