HEC drags its feet on promotion of 50,000 BPS lecturers

Shazia Mehboob

Islamabad: While the country is in desperate need of qualified teachers and technicians for its research labs, the Higher Education Commission (HEC), the custodian of the higher education sector, remains unconcerned.

About 50,000 BPS teachers associated with 150 public sector universities across Pakistan are affected by the HEC’s poor implementation of Section 10(q) of the HEC ordinance which relates to the service structure of the faculty members.

Dr Zeeshan, a lecturer of Microbiology at Hazara University Mansehra, tells his sorry tale of the pending promotion, “Even though he received his PhD and joined the University as a lecturer in 2006, he is still employed there in the same position because universities place little importance on hiring experienced individuals”. Similarly, Sajid ul Ghafoor, an assistant professor of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering at HU, explains that he joined the university in 2006 as an assistant professor in BPS 19. Despite being an assistant professor for more than 16 years, the HEC does not have a promotion policy that would allow for his advancement to associate professor in BPS 20.

Ejaz Shah, another victim of Section 10(q), claimed that he began working as a lecturer in 2012. He has served the University well for 10 years, yet he is still a lecturer. The only way for him to advance would be to reapply when higher positions are announced.

More Degrees, More Problems?

“And he would continue to be a lecturer if he didn’t participate in new competitions. In contrast to other government ministries, there are no promotion regulations,” Shah lamented. The HEC took on the role of the University Grants Commission (UGC) in 2001 as a result of the HEC legislation of 2002.

President of the All Pakistan Universities BPS Teachers Association (APUBTA) Dr Samiur Rahman, explained that Section 10(q) of the HEC ordinance gives HEC the authority to establish minimal standards and qualifications for faculty appointment and advancement.

Dr Rahman added that although the higher education authority offers guidelines for basic requirements and qualifications for appointments, it does not do the same for promotions, highlighting the root cause of their long pending issue. This discriminatory rule has created serious seniority issues in universities and it has affected the conducive working environment in universities, the APUBTA president added.

Hard Efforts, No Result

The APUBTA so far conducted at least 35 meetings with the HEC management. On March 10, 2022, an agreement was also signed by the HEC and APUBTA that the issue would be resolved by May 15, 2022, but the issue remains pending with the HEC.

Meanwhile, the matter was taken up with the National Assembly’s Special Committee (NASC). The NASC led by Member Parliament Qadir Khan Mandokhail directed the HEC to approve the promotion policy for the public sector BPS teachers within a week.

According to the documents available, the issue came up on the agenda of the Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education in its meeting held on August 22, 2022. The HEC chairman briefed the Standing Committee that HEC is working on the issue. It was decided that HEC would submit its report, but the report is still pending from HEC.

Similarly, the issue came up on the agenda of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education. In its meeting held on January 10, 2023, the management of the HEC was directed to take all possible measures for finalizing the policy but the action remains from the HEC. The issue again came up on the agenda of the National Assembly Special Committee for Affected Employees in its meeting held on July 26, 2023. The committee also directed the HEC to approve the policy within one week, but the action remains pending.

The agreement between FAPUASA, APUBTA, and the HEC to resolve long-standing BPS faculty promotion issue. The representatives reached a mutual commitment with HEC to submit the draft on the promotion statutes for BPS university teachers remains in doldrum.

FAPUASA General Secretary (KP-chapter) Dr Zafar Hayat Khan when contacted said there is only one hurdle in making BPS Promotion Policy and that is HEC. The HEC is just shying away from its due responsibility given to them through the HEC Ordinance.
In our meetings with HEC officials, they accept their failure but are indecisive and lack the will to approve it from the Commission and circulate it to universities for implementation.
Meanwhile, the FAPUASA executive council held a meeting on July 14, 2023, with the HEC chairman and his team. The chairman agreed to place the Promotion Policy on the Commission’s agenda for approval but the matter remains unacted upon. It is also  to mention here that the BPS teachers have made a great deal of effort since 2020  to resolve the matter but the matter remains lingering for the lack of forward move by the HEC.

HU BPS teachers To Joint FAPUASA Protest  

Citing the importance of the issue, an emergency meeting of the Hazara University Academic Staff Association (HUAS) was held on August 1, at Hazara University Mansehra. It highlighted that Hazara University BPS faculty members are being denied their rightful promotion progression by the HEC. The situation is of grave concerns, lecturers fearing that once entered as lecturers they may retire in the same cadre without opportunities to progress in their careers

The meeting concluded that the present situation is untenable. The faculty staff harbours a deep sense of injustice and disappointment. Everyday that goes by leaving the issue of promotion unresolved makes being the Hazara University less attractive thus pushing the faculty members to contemplate leaving the University.

The meeting endorsed the steps that FAPUASA took for the promotion statutes of BPS University Teachers with HEC. The meeting also affirmed that the BPS teachers will no longer tolerate inexplicable delays by HEC and will join the protest by FAPUASA when it is announced.

HEC Spokesperson Ayesha Ikram when contacted said she would respond by tomorrow but her respond to this scribe was pending till the filing of this report.