TTS university teachers still await salary decision

Islamabad: University professors working under the Tenure Track System have received no immediate salary relief, despite the government admitting that competitive salaries are necessary to retain qualified teachers and protect the quality of higher education.

The matter has been sent to four government bodies for another detailed review. The issue was discussed during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue, chaired by Senator Saleem Mandviwalla at Parliament House.

The committee heard the concerns of faculty members and officials regarding salaries paid to professors serving under the Tenure Track System, commonly known as TTS. TTS is a special employment system universities use to hire qualified teachers and researchers on performance-based contracts.

The system was created to attract talented academics by offering salaries that could compete with other professional sectors and foreign universities. However, the salary issue has remained unresolved, creating concern among teachers who argue their pay must match their qualifications, research output, and rising living costs.

During the meeting, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani acknowledged that competitive salaries were important for university faculty members. He said better salaries were needed to support quality education and retain capable teachers in Pakistan’s universities.

However, he also said that some matters required further examination before a final decision could be made. Consequently, the Senate committee received no clear salary figure, approval date or payment schedule.

The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, Higher Education Commission, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Law and Justice will now jointly review the issue. The four bodies must prepare a proposal acceptable to all sides.

The decision means TTS professors will have to wait until the ministries complete their discussions and agree on a solution. Committee members were told that the matter involved financial, administrative and legal questions requiring joint examination.

However, the delay has raised a basic question: how can universities retain experienced professors when their salary structure remains uncertain?

Qualified faculty members play a major role in teaching students, conducting research and improving the international standing of universities. Low or uncompetitive salaries can push experienced teachers towards private institutions, foreign universities or other better paying professions.

The government has not announced a deadline for completing the joint review. It has also not stated whether any approved salary revision would apply immediately or retroactively.

The committee expects HEC and the concerned ministries to develop a consensus based proposal before the matter returns for further consideration. Until then, professors working under the TTS system remain without a final decision on their salaries.