At three federal varsities: Over three dozen lecturers on contract, ad-hoc basis

Education minister says contracts necessary to evaluate performance.

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training Balighur Rehman on Friday told the National Assembly that around 37 lecturers were working on a contract or ad-hoc basis in three federal universities.

He also told the lower house that around 450 lecturers were working either as daily-wagers or on a temporary basis in various colleges of Islamabad.

The minister shared the information after Member National Assembly Shakila Luqman sought details of the number of daily-wagers and temporary staff in different educational institutes in the federal capital.

The minister said the lecturers were working on an ad-hoc and contract basis and not as daily-wagers or temporary employees.

According to the minister, 12 contract lecturers were working in the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), 18 in the Islamic International University Islamabad (IIUI) and two in the Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) while five lecturers were working in the IIUI on an ad hoc and contract basis.

Rehman said that a contract was necessary to evaluate the performance of a person and contractual employees get priority whenever opportunities were available.

The minister said, owing to the ban on recruitments, it was not possible to hire faculty members against vacant posts. He said that a summary has been forwarded to the prime minister to lift the ban on hiring in the federal educational institutes.

Replying to another question, Rehman said no proposal was under consideration to provide stipends to jobless MPhil and PhD scholars.

Currently, IIUI has no permanent rector while AIOU and the QAU have no permanent vice-chancellors.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 9^th,2014.