Higher education: HEC to resolve tenure track problems

HEC letter had left many teachers perturbed

LAHORE: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has been striving to resolve problems plaguing the tenure track system (TTS) in consultation with all stakeholders, HEC Chairman Mukhtar Ahmed told The Express Tribune on Wednesday.

Ahmed said a committee would be constituted post-Eid which would look into addressing varsity complaints, policy ambiguities and implementation difficulties. He said this was decided in a meeting with academics. Ahmed said some varsities had told the HEC that they had failed to understand all TTS regulations in totality. He said the committee would look into this. Ahmed said a Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) delegation had also made the commission cognisant of teachers’ reservations.

The development followed in the wake of the commission’s April 12 letter wherein vice chancellors (VCs) nationwide were directed to not assign faculty hired on TTS basis to administrative posts. According to the letter, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, the HEC stated that TTS faculty were paid better than their counterparts to facilitate research. This was why, the HEC said, they had been barred from holding administrative positions.

The HEC further directed the varsities to not include the time served by such faculty towards their TTS service and emphasised that such individuals were not entitled to TTS salaries. In the letter, the commission asked VCs to withhold salaries of TTS faculty on administrative positions. “If a faculty member assumes an administrative post in a university, such as that of a registrar, HR director or treasurer…the period for which the individual remains on that post shall not be counted towards their TTS service. During the period, they will not be eligible for a TTS salary,” the letter stated.

The document stirred a hornet’s nest with many TTS academics working at administrative positions across a bevy of varsities. FAPUASA general secretary Dr Mehboob said an association delegation had called on the HEC chairman and made him cognisant of teachers’ concerns.

He said the constitution of a committee tasked with resolving outstanding issues and allaying teachers’ concerns was suggested then.  Dr Mehboob said FAPUASA had presented the name of four of its members in this regard. He said the association was waiting for the HEC to green-light the committee.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2016.