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FAISALABAD, Jan 13: Senior teachers and PhD students have expressed anguish over the decision of the University of Agriculture vice-chancellor for granting additional charge of the Division of Education and Extension Directorship to a non-PhD teacher.
According to university sources, the post of Division of Education and Extension director had been lying vacant for the last few months after the death of Dr Qausar Almas.
They said the VC exercising the discretionary powers gave additional charge of the DEE director to Niaz Hussain Malik, an associate professor of the Department of Agriculture Education, ignoring three senior PhD teachers of the same division.
The VC's move, according to the teachers, is unprecedented and created an embarrassment for all PhD students who have to appear before the director for viva and authentication, verification, clarification and explanation of PhD synopses.
A group of students told reporters that non-PhD teacher could not discharge his duties properly and also unable to fulfil the examination process for PhD students as per rules and regulations of the conduct of the examinations and ethics of teaching.
For running the day to day affairs of the DEE, they said the VC was supposed to give additional charge to such a teacher who possessed a PhD degree either from the EED directorate or from any other faculty on seniority basis.
Presently, they said, over two dozen PhD students were taking education and as per schedule they had to present their synopses and appear for viva examination during next week.
They pointed out that every PhD thesis and research work after completion required to be submitted for authentication and verification before foreign examiners. In the present scenario, synopses and research work being supervised by a non-PhD teacher could have the negative impact on foreign examiners and study of such PhD students could be denied, they apprehended.
The Agricultural University have eight faculties and a Division of Education and Extension in which the PhD classes are being imparted. Almost all the faculties in which PhD students are studying are supervised and headed by PhD teachers.
PARENTS CALLED: The parents of students, who were expelled from the University of Agriculture, have been called for talks by the vice-chancellor to resolve the matter.
Sources close to the VC told this correspondent that after the massive turnout of students on roads and hours long protest demonstration on Wednesday, the university management invited the parents of 18 students to end the controversy.
They said that parents would be forced to stop their sons from taking to roads and protesting against their expulsion. As a last resort, they claimed, the university management would accept the mercy petitions of students with the affidavits of their parents for not indulging in anti-campus activities.
They further said that the provincial government high ups were also interested in reinstatement of the students so that the matter could not be raised on the Punjab Assembly floors in its on-going session.
DAMAGED: Scores of students of the GC University Faisalabad damaged window panes of a bus and burst its tyres when crew of the vehicle tortured two students over the fare issue here on Thursday.
Two students boarded the Metro Transport Service bus, but the crew exchanged hot words with them over fare. The conductor, driver and their helper manhandled the students and threatened them with dire consequences.
In the meantime, the bus reached the main gate of the GC University on Kotwali Road. The students left the bus and called some of their fellows who encircled the vehicle, forcing the passengers to leave the bus.
Later, they pelted stones on the bus and damaged its screens and window panes. All of sudden, they managed to escape from the scene. A police team and armed guards of the bus company rushed to the spot, but none of the students could be apprehended.
