ISLAMABAD, July 10: After several years of struggle, the Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) teachers are set to enjoy hefty salaries under a new service structure introduced by the government to improve university level teaching in the country, Dawn has learnt.

The selection board of the QAU on July 7 approved 64 teachers of its various departments for the Tenure Track System (TTS), under which a professor could get up to Rs175,000 monthly salary.

In 2003, when the Higher Education Commission (HEC) introduced the TTS, the QAU faculty refused to accept it and wanted changes in its various clauses.

Unlike other universities, the QAU wanted to shape the system according to its own needs, and subsequently the HEC agreed to implement it according to the university’s own requirements.

According to a recent evaluation conducted by the HEC, the QAU has been declared best public sector university of the country under all given indicators — research output, quality of teaching, number of students enrolled and graduated from the university.

After extended negotiations with the HEC, the university also succeeded in keeping a special provision for reverting to the regular service structure in case its teachers did not feel comfortable with the new system.

Similarly, instead of TTS’ limited implementation, the QAU argued that the new service structure should be offered to all teachers who qualified for it.

The QAU is also probably the only university in the country whose 64 teachers have qualified for the TTS.

Under the strict criteria formulated by the HEC, only teachers having research credentials at both national and international levels could apply for the new service structure.