Teachers' body demands HEC grant doubled to Rs130b

HYDERABAD:

Mehran University Teachers Association (MUTA) has deplored what it described as the federal budget's indifference to the financial needs of the higher education institutions in the country.

In a statement on Monday, MUTA's president Dr Nafees Ahmed Memon and general secretary Dr Arshad Memon warned the government of launching a protest movement if their budgetary demands are not incorporated in the budget 2026-27.

They called for doubling the proposed outlay of Rs66.4 billion to Rs130 billion under the head of recurring grant given to the Higher Education Commission. They pointed out that the HEC itself had submitted its proposal for a Rs138 billion grant but it later settled for at least Rs100 billion.

They added that the government should also commit to enhancing educational expenditures to at least 4% of the gross domestic product (GDP) over the next five years. The association's leaders pointed out that even South Asian countries like Bhutan and Maldives are spending 5.8% and 5.2% of their GDPs, respectively, on education.

Restoration of 75% tax rebate for universities teachers and researchers, notification of salary revision under Tenure Track System (TTS), and implementation of uniform promotion policy for basic pay scale (BPS) were also demanded.

The rebate was reduced in 2013 followed by its abolition in 2025. Dr Memon referred to the economic data which showed that inflation and currency depreciation have shrunken the real value of the HEC's recurring grant by nearly half.