WE recently observed the Labour Day, ignoring a class of ‘workers’ whose struggle remains invisible in public discourse; the highly qualified visiting faculty. Many of them hold MPhil or MS degrees, but they are paid as little as Rs700 to Rs900 per lecture. They carry out academic and administrative tasks, but they are treated as expendables — hired for a semester, and discarded without security, benefits or recognition. Their wages are comparable to daily-wage labourers despite the years of education and training. This is a ref-lection of how the system exploits the very people it relies on. We should recognise and respect the rights of our academics.

Muhammad Hussnan
Malakand

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2026