THE tenure track system (TTS) was introduced in 2002 by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) with the intention to attract and induct highly-qualified faculty members in universities to enhance the teaching and research environment.

Sadly, this target has not been achieved yet. These thousands of highly-qualified faculty members, inducted through various selection boards of the universities, have been struggling to survive as they have not been considered for either in-service benefits or for post-service pension. There has been no pay increase since 2015.

The government employees working on basic pay scale (BPS) have already received about 76 per cent increase in the last about six years. The HEC gave confirmation in writing in October 2020 that the pay for TTS faculty would be raised, but nothing has happened even after that announcement.

The government wants to boost, among other things, the education sector, but this objective can only be achieved by uplifting the quality of education which is possible only through quality research and teaching.

The system has tremendous potential to enhance the quality of education. The authorities concerned should ensure justice to the TTS faculty across the country.

Dr Naseem-ul-Ghani Qureshi
Khairpur

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2021