The Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2024

Background

Under the existing Second Schedule of the Universities Act, 2012, the process of appointing a Chancellor for a public university involves multiple bureaucratic stages. The university Senate first identifies candidates, who are then submitted to the Public Service Commission (PSC) for shortlisting. The PSC then ranks three candidates and forwards them to the Cabinet Secretary, who transmits them to the President for final appointment.

According to the Bill's Memorandum of Objects and Reasons, this multi-layered procedure is long, time-consuming, and discourages eminent personalities from applying or being considered for the position. The Bill seeks to bypass these intermediaries, creating a direct path from the university Senate to the President.

Key Amendments

• Amending the Second Schedule of the Universities Act, 2012:
  • Paragraph 1: Amended to require the Senate to identify suitable nominees within ninety days of a vacancy.
  • Paragraph 2: Replaced to mandate the Senate to forward three identified names directly to the President, who must then appoint one person as Chancellor within twenty days.
  • Paragraph 3: Deleted entirely to remove the Public Service Commission's shortlisting role and the Cabinet Secretary's transmission role.

New Obligations

• Gender Representation: The university Senate must ensure that at least one person among the final nominees forwarded to the President is of either gender.
• Strict Timelines:
  • The Senate must act within 90 days of a vacancy to identify nominees.
  • The President must make the appointment within 20 days of receiving the names.