THE Supreme Court has ordered the Frontier Education Foundation to convert 80 women lecturers to permanent-based service, which is really a very appreciable step.

Further, it has asked the authority concerned to finalise the process of conversion within two weeks.

We are lecturers in the department of software and electrical engineering at the University of Science and Technology, Bannu.

We have been working on a fixed pay basis for about two years.

The post of a lecturer at the university level is BPS-18, and the gross salary is about Rs60,000 but we are working on a salary of Rs30,000, which is half of what we should get.

The process of selection was the same as is generally practised in our country. We asked the high-ups many times to convert us to regular service but they refused and gave different excuses instead.

Employees are being exploited. The authorities are of the view that in this age of unemployment they could get other lecturers on pays even less than what is offered to us.

I request the federal education minister, KP education minister, the Higher Education Commission, Pakistan Engineering Council and the Chief Justice of Pakistan to investigate the case and convert us from a fixed pay basis to regular contract at least.

ENGR. HASHIM KHAN Lecturer, Department of Software Engineering, IECS Bannu