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Pakistan's public universities are heading toward a dangerous academic collapse as highly qualified professors and researchers continue to suffer from frozen salaries, soaring inflation, and mounting tax burdens, as reported by The Express Tribune.
According to The Express Tribune, faculty members employed under the Tenure Track System (TTS) programme introduced in 2002 to attract top-tier PhD scholars with competitive salaries have reportedly not received a meaningful salary revision since 2021. During the same period, Pakistan witnessed repeated inflation shocks, including a historic inflation peak of 38%, while the tax burden on these academics increased by nearly 81%. The report highlighted growing frustration among university researchers who argue that despite their contributions in securing international research grants and improving global university rankings, the government has continued to ignore their financial hardships. The last recruitment under the TTS programme reportedly took place in 2020, and since then, universities have faced faculty attrition and declining morale. According to figures presented before the Senate Standing Committee on Finance, the salaries of assistant professors, associate professors, and professors under the TTS structure have remained stagnant at Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 175,500, PKR 263,250, and PKR 394,875, respectively, since 2021. Had normal annual revisions been applied, these salaries would have risen significantly by 2025. The finance ministry recently held discussions with representatives of the Association of Pakistan Tenure Track Teachers (APTTA), but no final agreement was reached. Officials reportedly proposed a one-time adjustment that could exclude several allowances, reducing the actual relief for faculty members, as cited by The Express Tribune. A special task force headed by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal had earlier recommended aligning TTS salaries with the Basic Pay Scale framework and adding a 35% premium to maintain competitive compensation. However, these recommendations have yet to be implemented. Academic circles warn that continued government inaction could accelerate the brain drain from Pakistan's higher education sector. Stakeholders stated that nearly 4,000 faculty members remain affected, as reported by The Express Tribune. (ANI)
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