LAHORE: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) may cut grants to universities that have appointed teachers serving under Tenure Track System on admin posts against its order.

The HEC has also formed a committee to address issues related to TTS faculty. However, the universities’ faculty body has refused to accept the HEC committee saying its representatives are not included in it.

“Some universities in the country have followed the HEC directive and removed teachers serving under TTS from administrative posts but those still reluctant to comply with will face cut in grants (for non-compliance),” an HEC spokesperson told Dawn.

“We have also formed a five-member committee headed by Dr Suhail Naqvi to address the issues related to the TTS faculty,” she added.

When asked some of the leading universities in Punjab and elsewhere had plainly refused to implement its directive saying they were following “university calendar/statutes” and not answerable to the commission over this matter, the spokesperson said: “HEC has taken a firm stance on the issue and all universities will have to follow its directive or lose its grants.”

Teachers panel says commission is ‘trying to undermine’ autonomy

The Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (Fapuasa) has expressed its concern for ignoring it in formation of TTS committee by HEC.

“The commission had agreed to form the TTS committee having our representation. But now it has formed a committee without including our nominees. It is not acceptable to us,” Fapuasa General Secretary (Punjab) Dr Mahboob Husain said.

Talking to Dawn, he said Fapuasa had proposed four names for the TTS committee but the HEC did not bother to include a single nominee of the teachers body showing it was not serious to resolve the issue.

Earlier, the HEC had written to all universities, warning them if a faculty member assumed an administrative post such as registrar, HR director or treasurer etc, the period for which he/she remains on that post shall not be counted towards his/her TTS service and during that period he/she will not be eligible to draw TTS salary.

“After June 30, 2014, if a faculty member on TTS assumed responsibility of academic (cum) administrative position of director research, dean of a faculty or head of a department, the period of holding such appointment shall not be counted towards his/her TTS probation period and (he/she) will not be eligible to draw TTS salary,” the HEC said, adding the government was offering a lot of incentives to engage faculty members in research in their respective fields and if they involved themselves in other activities the very purpose could not be served, therefore, the varsities needed to strictly follow these instructions.

Assuming administrative posts such as registrar, human resource director, treasurer and examination controller openly or under the cover of ‘acting’, ‘look after’ or ‘additional’ charge by TTS faculty is not justifiable, observes HEC.

The prime purpose of introducing TTS was to promote research and impart quality education to students in varsities.

Fapuasa had challenged HEC’s directive saying it was not authorised to undermine the autonomy of universities by directly issuing instructions to their executive heads.

In a letter to the HEC, Dr Asif Ali, Fapuasa Islamabad chapter president, questioned: “Under what lawful authority the commission can ask the executive heads of autonomous varsities to stop salaries of the faculty members who are the appointees of the respective syndicates and not of the HEC?”

Published in Dawn September 13th, 2016