Minister asks VCs to follow rules in decision-making

LAHORE:Caretaker Provincial Education Minister Mansoor Qadir on Tuesday emphasised the need to curb the undue exercise of emergency powers by university vice-chancellors (VCs).

While chairing a meeting, the minister directed the issuance of a circular to all universities, instructing VCs to adhere strictly to rules and regulations in their decision-making. Expressing concern, the minister noted instances where university teachers sought redressal of grievances from the chancellor without regard for institutional discipline. He warned that future complaints of this nature would result in legal action against the implicated faculty members. On the matter of recruiting new teachers in universities, the minister informed the meeting that the election commission currently prohibits such recruitments. The recruitment process will resume after general elections when the ban is lifted. Stressing the importance of transparency and merit, he urged university selection boards to adhere strictly to these principles during the recruitment process.

The minister urged vice-chancellors and registrars to formulate budgets for their institutions based on available resources and expenses, emphasising financial discipline. He cautioned against potential cessation of govt aid in the coming years due to financial difficulties. The meeting approved the budget of Govt Sadiq College Women University, Bahawalpur. The minister directed the transparent appointment of a registrar for the university. Additionally, he instructed the vice-chancellor of Islamia University Bahawalpur to provide support and advice to Sadiq College Women University in managing its affairs.

Tevta plans to upgrade four institutes

Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (Tevta) Chairman, Brig (Retd) Muhammad Sajid Khokhar on Tuesday announced a plan to upgrade Tevta’s four institutes to model institutes. During a meeting at the Tevta secretariat, the chairman said these institutes included the Government College of Technology Rawalpindi, Government College of Technology Taxila, Government Technical Training Institute for Women Township Lahore, and Government Technical Training Institute Gulberg Lahore.

Chairman elaborated that by setting up model institutes focus was on improving the quality of education. He added that the provision of modern and up-to-date facilities, including professional faculty and smart classrooms, updated labs and syllabi, e-attendance, and dress code in these institutes, with the support of the Punjab government.