Patna, Jan. 30: With the term of Patna University pro-vice-chancellor S.I. Ahson expiring on February 3 and no word from either the state human resource development (HRD) department or the Raj Bhavan on his replacement, the students are a worried lot over the schedule of their exams.

The pro-VC is responsible for finalising the dates of examinations. He also issues ordinance for starting new courses after getting the approval from the academic council of the university.

With the final exams of vocational, postgraduate and undergraduate courses slated to start in February and March, the post of the pro-VC needs to be filled at the earliest, said a varsity source.

The final exams for the vocational courses are scheduled to start from February 27, according to the varsity calendar. The undergraduate students will take their final exams between March and May.

University officials and teachers said Governor Devanand Konwar, who is also the varsity chancellor, may not be in favour of appointing a permanent pro-vice-chancellor immediately. The post may remain vacant for some time once incumbent pro-VC Ahson’s term expires on February 3.

A source in the Raj Bhavan said though the HRD department had written a number of letters to the governor to fix a meeting to finalise the names of the VCs for the five universities, there has been no response from Konwar. In such a situation, it was likely that the appointment of a new pro-VC would take some time.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar brought Ahson, a well-known technocrat, to the state from Jamia Millia Islamia in 2007. Nitish had wanted to appoint him as the VC of Patna University. But former governor R.S. Gavai had appointed Shyam Lal to the coveted post and Ahson had to settle for the pro-VC’s chair.

Ahson is also a favourite of the chief minister because he had taught Nitish when he was an engineering student at Bihar College of Engineering in Patna.

Ahson is credited for many reforms in the university and is considered a frontrunner for the VC’s post. The semester system, which will be introduced in both the undergraduate and the postgraduate courses from the next session, is Ahson’s brainchild.

Patna University acting vice-chancellor Sudipto Adhikari said after taking charge that his first priority would be to implement the semester system. The three-year-long undergraduate courses would have six semesters and the two-year postgraduate course, four semesters.

Ahson also has a good rapport with the teachers and the students of the university. However, the intimacy with the students cooled off a bit last year when they protested against alleged anti-Bihari remarks of Ahson.

Last week, Raj Bhavan had announced the names of acting vice-chancellors of five universities of the state, where the term of the incumbent VCs ended on January 24.

Adhikari was appointed for Patna University, Rajendra Mishra for Bhim Rao Ambedkar Bihar University, Muzaffarpur, and Samsu Zoha for Maulana Mazharul Haque Arabic and Persian University, Patna.

BN Mandal University pro-vice-chancellor Arun Kumar was made the acting chancellor of the university, as was Dinesh Prasad Sinha, the pro-vice-chancellor of Jai Prakash University, Chhapra.