President, Academic Staff Association, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF), Professor Dr Zafar Iqbal Randhawa has said that Punjab government has constituted a Search Committee for the selection of vice chancellors for seven different universities of the province.
No doubt this is a revolutionary step that would achieve excellence in higher education in Pakistan, and would eliminate undue political pressure and nepotism from the government authorities for the appointment of vice chancellors, he said in a press statement on Monday.
However, it is quite surprising to note that there is no scientist in the Search Committee for the recommendations to appoint vice chancellors for various universities. He said the committee should design objective parameters to evaluate the candidates' suitability/merit for appointment as vice chancellor.
He said that the committee had developed no transparent criteria, consequently creating frustration among the most deserving applicants. Dr Randhawa stressed the need that the merit of the applicants should be based on scientific achievements of a person not on the length of administrative experiences. A non-science person, no matter, how could be a good administrator or manager relating to the problems and concerns of science and technology of this era.
They might not be aware of the true indicators of scientific excellence, eg, the meaning of impact factor, author citation index or how to develop and execute scientific research projects and how to make progress in this arena of science and technology.
Only a scientist can better understand the capabilities of a person, and his contribution and potentials towards the advancement of science. Because of this problem, the search committee could not evaluate properly the credentials of most of the candidates, who have made remarkable achievements in science and are known world over due to their scholarly attainment and scientific vigour.
Selection based merely on length of service or administrative experience would lead to the appointment of improper persons for such posts, which demand a lot of vision and breadth of knowledge in various disciplines of science.
Dr Zafar Iqbal Randhawa further emphasised that if we need to be included in the comity of developed nations, we have to focus much on science and technology. It is the policy for boosting the science and technology, which is being pursued by all developed and most of the developing countries. As a testament the top 100 universities in the world are excellent centers of various science disciplines and they have proved their superiority on the basis of their astounding achievements in science and technology.
The nation needs such leaders for the educational institutions, who possess divine wisdom and considerable awareness of scientific norms so as to put our universities on the right track and meet the global challenges in higher education.
President, Academic Staff Association, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF), Professor Dr Zafar Iqbal Randhawa further said that there was a dire need to include in the search committee at least two eminent scientists, one each from natural and physical sciences, may be from other provinces for the selection of vice chancellors.
This might help to select vice chancellors, who could understand and implement the policies of HEC in true letter and spirit. This would enable us to have vice chancellors with broader vision towards scientific research that definitely would improve the level of higher education in the country, President, Academic Staff Association, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF), Professor Dr Zafar Iqbal Randhawa.
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