Varsities employees not paid for 2 months

The financial crisis in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s universities is far from over as Islamia Collage University and University of Agriculture Peshawar have not paid their employees for the past two months.

The provincial government has always claimed the higher education as the top priority sector for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government but despite these tall claims no heed is paid to the problem and subsequently there is no end in sight to the crisis.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Vice Chancellor Agriculture University, Professor Dr. Jehan Bakht, said the fiscal deficit is so severe that if they collect funds and arrange payment of salaries for one month the next month they don’t have enough funds and this gap is almost impossible to bridge.

He is also the chairman of the four Universities of the campus including University of Peshawar, Agriculture University, University of Engineering and Technology and Islamia Collage University.

“We need at least Rs200 million to enable the university to pay its 1,200 employees and pensioners,” he added, adding that the provincial government was repeatedly requested to provide the required amount but with no avail.

He further informed that he has already requested the Chief Minister, Higher Education Minister and Finance Advisor to solve the issue of the pending salaries but still there was no progress to this end.

“Next week we will receive Rs1.7 million grant but it will not solve the issue and shortage of funds will still be there,” he noted.

He informed that every year the Higher Education Commission was reducing the grants and from the year 2018 to 2024 around 35 per cent budget was reduced by the HEC to the Agriculture and other Universities in K-P.

The VC said that this year too budget was decreased for the Agriculture University by HEC.

“Government has announced increase in the salaries for government employees in the budget but there was no increase in budget accordingly,” he maintained, adding that the budget for the varsities was going down each passing year without inviting any attention from the quarters concerned.

The Vice Chancellor said that most of the budget was going to the pensions, suggesting that HEC should provide separate funds for the pension and this will make the universities’ budget surplus.

When contacted the Secretary Higher Education informed that the summery for the budget of the Universities had been sent to the Finance Department and they were waiting for the reply of the Finance Department.