Daily Times

PESHAWAR: Islamia College University ICU has become an orphan academic institution of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) during the last five years, with the university is being run by a number of acting or part time vice-chancellors.

MR, Ajmal Khan resumed charge in September 2014 after four years of captivity in Taliban’s custody, but his tenure will expire officially on Monday, with Islamia College University (ICU) yet to get a permanent VC.

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) led provincial government on Friday has appointed Professor Dr Naushad as the Pakistan Study Department Chairman. Dr. Naushad Khan will assume the charge on Monday as one of 5 caretaker Vice Chancellors of the University for the period of two years, as per the notification issued by the Islamia College University available with Daily Times.

When contacted, the media protocol officer and Personal Secretary (PS) to VC of ICU Ali Hoti said that the historical education institution of the region had lost its prestige, value and name and failed to impart quality education to its students, urging the government to appoint a full time VC. He said that Dr Naushad was an efficient figure of the ICU and would assume charge after Mr Ajmal Khan retires on 27 June 2016.

Abbasin Yousafzai, Chairman Pashto Department of ICU, said that due to the absence of a permanent VC, the college and university could not undertake or complete ongoing projects in the field of research and infrastructure. He mentioned the academics block in the ICU inaugurated 8 years ago. None of the care taker VC’s attempted to complete it, and the relatively old ICU building was insufficient to accommodate the flux of the students.

He said the ICU needed a full time VC to work for the betterment of the institution and mould the institution as per the needs of modern day education. “The university has no single block reserved for girl’s hostels, the caretaker setup has taken the university to the brink of devastation in terms of infrastructure and research and then quit silently” Abbasin Yousifzai said.

It is pertinent to mention that the process for appointment of vice-chancellors to nine public sector universities including ICU has not been completed by the academic search committee. The academic search committee has only recommended a total of 27 candidates: three per university.

Dr Attaur Rehman is chairman of the academic search committee while its members include former governor State Bank of Pakistan Dr Ishrat Hussain, Rector of Ripha University Dr GM Miana, Lahore University of Management Sciences Vice-chancellor Dr Sohail Naqvi and the secretary of the higher education department.