Visiting faculty at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) have gone unpaid since the fall 2023 semester, with some saying their dues stretch back over 18 months. Frustrated and financially strained, many are now considering leaving the profession altogether.
The university, which has 26 departments and hundreds of visiting lecturers, has violated its own policies by failing to release salaries for nearly two years. “This is a violation of our basic rights,” said one teacher. “We have families to support, rent to pay, and school fees to cover.”
Another faculty member said he wouldn’t return until dues were cleared. “We’re thinking about quitting, but we need to be paid first,” he said.
Regular employees are also facing delays—this time with the reimbursement of medical bills. The administration blames the crisis on a lack of funds and says it has requested a bailout from the federal government.
QAU is not alone. The International Islamic University Islamabad and the Federal Urdu University are also struggling financially. The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the federal education ministry requested a Rs. 2.5 billion grant in March, but universities have yet to receive the funds. The HEC currently faces a funding shortfall of Rs. 60 billion.
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This is what happens when you cut education budget and increase military spending. HEC gave so little budget to the universities since the recent few years that a few universities in the capital have made 1 whole day (Friday) as remote for the students in order to save electricity bill spending. This is the result of our foolish policy making and our stupid priorities. We want to compare ourselves with nations like China and India but we forget how much funding they are giving to their universities. As a researcher myself, I have literally seen every research paper has a name of a chinese person in the past decade. They have poured so much money into their universities which is the only reason they have become a world power in just 20-30 years. We need to straighten our direction as well. What our leaders need to understand is that the money you spend on education will only give you back ten folds and it’s the only way you don’t lose the money.
Not only the visiting faculty but also also external examiners (national and international). What a shame!
AOA, financial crices is more worst in Karachi university. Visiting faculty are being un paid for more than three years.
Very good they deserved it that cz the way these teacher since 2006 onwards when they were sent in Europe on scholarships giving millions of dollars per PhD fellow which they got by neapotism they looted that money as savings buying plots etc many didnt returned to pakistan cz they signged bond that phD they serve atleast 5 years in pakistsn. Govt gave them money for their comfort quality life while doing PhD. They live 4,5 people in one room using pirated softwares and other things to save millions of money and many of them didnt came back as per bond they signed and who came back bought expensive properties start having lavish by money saved by fraud and also taking huge salaries with perk privalges many never came. So Govt of pak HEC lost billions of dollars on characterless students now those same people on higher podition now looting becomes their habbit through curroption govt given funds they put in their accounts and Univetsity education level got more worst cz of their incomptency . Now govt should held inquiry through and FIA. Cz its seem big scam its not possible pskistan no.1 uni didnt gave salaries cz self finance money elite class study here also. Departmental chairmen and VC never told govt in two years its scam and travhers snd staff are involved just Govt give this case FIA, and NAB
You are talking about visiting faculty of universities administered under federation, this is good. But, please highlight the issue of salaries of permanent faculty members working in public sector universities in Punjab. It has been almost 2 years at Islamia University of Bahawalpur that we are facing irregularities in salary disbursement.
I think public audit hona chaiye, inappropriate funds used for hen for their personal need
And they say After Khan Pakistan tu bohat successful chal Raha hay! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
GCU Lahore directorate of intermediate studies also doing the same with visiting faculty members. They do a contract of 9 or 10 months but pay only for 7 or 8 months. They don’t pay for last 2 months of contract from 2 years. But they take work of admission, pre-board duties and practical duties from teachers in these 2 months.
This is a very serious issue. In the education sector, if teachers are not satisfied socially and financially, it may impact the students in one way or the other. The same is the case in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; read the full article on it by typing the keywords below into Google. ‘The Alienated Academia: Exploring the Lives of Visiting Faculty in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through Karl Marx’s Theory of Alienation.’