By Manzoor Shaikh
Supreme Court’s order for clearing the mess in the country’s public sector universities regarding temporary postings against tenured positions may prove more of a talking point in the institutions rather than a welcome move. This is because the system designed for filling top positions, especially the offices of the vice chancellors, seems to hinder improvement in the institutions.
An exchange of views with several senior professors and vice chancellors suggests that the situation concerning postings, as well as the management of the institutions in line with the prescribed law, may not change in the near future.
Political Influence
In light of their experiences, they believe that political influence is the biggest hurdle to any substantial change in public sector universities. Even the vice chancellors who dare to run the institutions in accordance with the law have to bear the brunt of ruling circles and face stiff resistance from within the institution.
‘There are many factors involved that have led the public sector universities to their present condition,’ says a retired professor who requests anonymity. Vice chancellors alone cannot put the universities on the right track; they need to be free of the pressures that come from ruling circles, whether related to recruitments, appointments, promotions, or governance. For instance, a university professor recalls that vice chancellors receive numerous calls from relevant ministries, departments, elected representatives, etc., asking for undue favors for recommended employees. ‘They are sometimes forced to respond to such calls, knowing they {the vice chancellors} will need to return for funding and resolutions of various issues in their universities.’
Pick Your Vice Chancellor
The overwhelming majority of vice chancellors are political appointees, irrespective of their abilities, claims a senior staff member from a public sector university in Sindh. He {the vice chancellor} is either a nominee of an influential politician in the area where his university is located or a close aide of someone connected to the appointing authority in the respective province.
In Punjab, university circles claim that an influential vice chancellor, who was close to the then chief minister during the PTI government, had 18 people appointed to top positions in the province’s universities. Many people report a similar story in Sindh province as well.
A Complete Game
Another senior professor, who has worked with several known and credible vice chancellors, states that a complete set of factors has shaped a system in which deviation from the established path for aspiring vice chancellors is nearly impossible. For instance, the search committees that provincial governments form to find candidates for vice chancellorships often include individuals of questionable integrity. ‘These committees are comprised of people who neither understand the required caliber and stature nor have any prior experience managing the office of the vice chancellor,’ he claims. ‘They {committee members} often ask silly questions during brief interviews with vice chancellor candidates.’
These committees do not establish any rubrics throughout the selection process for the offices of vice chancellors, making it difficult to assess candidates’ educational qualifications, associations with local and international institutions, publications and citations, professional funding, and international experience. A comprehensive plan for how a university would advance under a new vice chancellor is also lacking.
A senior professor asserts that if the recent appointments of vice chancellors in Sindh’s universities are scrutinized against the requisite standards, hardly any would meet the true demands of the office.
Corruption Allegation: An Effective Tool
Even if a vice chancellor is committed to bringing meaningful change, there are numerous ways to discourage him, especially if he does not adhere to the established standards for the office. A senior official from a public sector university claims that allegations of corruption are the most effective tool to bring him to his knees. He referred to several public sector universities in rural Sindh, stating that the corruption allegation tool was effectively used to dislodge vice chancellors.
Weaker Syndicates
To maintain the status quo, weaker syndicates are essential, says yet another professor serving at a university in Karachi. Since most nominations for members of syndicates are based on political affiliations, they tend to avoid crossing lines and instead facilitate decisions that suit the vice chancellor and political bosses.
For these reasons, around 24 public sector universities across Pakistan have been highlighted in reports submitted by the additional attorney general and provinces to the apex court of the country.
