PAKISTAN’s higher education landscape is witnessing an unsettling trend. Almost every other university is announcing an ever-growing number of visiting faculty positions. What once used to be a limited, temporary arrangement to fill genuine gaps has quietly expanded into a parallel system that now underpins much of under-graduate and postgraduate teaching across the country.
The numbers tell a clear story. Semester after semester, universities post long lists of visiting seats. These positions are filled, classes are held, lectures are delivered, and students pay full fee. Yet the lecturers who stand in those classrooms often wait months for payment that is calculated strictly on a per-credit-hour basis. Many receive their dues only after the semester ends, and only after persistent follow-ups, reminders and sometimes personal appeals to the head of department (HOD) concerned. In numerous cases, the amount finally paid barely covers the cost of commuting to and from the campus for the entire term.
This arrangement creates a twin-edge injustice. For the young academic, often a fresh MPhil or PhD graduate, the visiting system offers neither security nor dignity. There is no monthly salary, no benefits, no guarantee of continued employment, and no protection against sudden non-renewal. A semester of teaching can end with a cheque that feels more like an afterthought than fair compensation. The lecturer is left to manage living expenses, research, and family responsibilities while waiting for money that arrives late and remains inadequate.
On the other hand, students suffer as well. When teachers are paid late, are uncertain about future contracts, and are required to teach at multiple institutions simply to survive, the quality of engage-ment inevitably suffers. A visiting lecturer racing between campuses cannot invest the same time in mentoring, feedback or research guidance that a permanent faculty member can. Students who pay a substantial fee receive instruction from educators whose primary concern has to be their own financial survival rather than intellectual investment.
In universities, visiting faculty positions are now often advertised under newer labels, such as ‘flexible hiring’. Many of these posts require applicants to pay a non-refundable application processing fee ranging from Rs500 to Rs1,000, while also stating that a PhD will be preferred.
The deeper problem is structural. Every visiting seat represents a career opportunity that has been converted into a temporary, underpaid arrangement. Instead of creating permanent or properly remunerated contract positions at the appropriate basic pay scale as per one’s qualification, universities prefer the cheaper, more flexible visiting model.
In the process, they postpone the hard decisions about financial management, staffing ratios and long-term academic planning. Merit is also compromised. In many institutions, personal connections still open doors more easily than trans-parent interviews, further eroding trust in the system.
The relevant authorities must confront this reality. Visiting faculty should remain an exceptional measure, not the default staffing strategy. Where temporary appointments are genuinely required, they must come with timely payment, clear contracts and compensation aligned with the relevant pay scale. Permanent positions must be announced and filled through open, competitive processes so that qualified scholars can build stable academic careers rather than survive from semester to semester. If we are serious about improving the quality of higher education, we must stop treating our academics as a disposable entity.
Sarmad Mahsud
Dera Ismail Khan
Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2026
