HEC Decision Angers Teachers, Future Now in Doubt

News Desk

Islamabad: Higher Education Commission (HEC) has adopted a new position in Islamabad High Court (IHC), which has generated widespread criticism and resentment among university lecturers.

The argument of HEC was that it is not possible to formulate policy and guidelines for promotion and service structure of Basic Pay Scale (BPS) faculty members without altering the specific Acts and Statutes of all the universities of Pakistan.

HEC’s discriminatory policies have remained a source of concern for years, with around 88% of total university teachers holding the post of BPS teachers out of a total of 154 public sector universities across Pakistan.

Unlike Tenure Track System (TTS) faculty members, BPS teachers lack an official service structure and promotion policy, which leads to many of them working on lower pay scales for years without any career advancement.

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This impression is in response to a petition filed by the All Public Universities BPS Teachers Association (APUBTA) seeking implementation of contracts entered into between teachers’ association and HEC for granting service structure and promotion policy upon varsities’ faculty members on BPS. The petition was also related to seniority issues emanating due to unfair and discriminatory policies implemented by HEC.

BPS teachers have organized several protests at the HEC headquarters in Islamabad, and the issue has also been raised at parliament, with the Senate and the standing committees of the National Assembly having heard the matter.

At all platforms, HEC has adopted the APUBTA stand and has promised to approve service structure and promotion policy for university teachers of BPS, even as promises made to parliamentarians and leadership of university teachers notwithstanding, HEC goes back on its word.

After listening to the arguments of both sides, IHC Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani ruled that he would hear the opinion of four public sector universities of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), i.e., Quaid-i-Azam University, International Islamic University, Allama Iqbal Open University, and Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science, and Technology, Islamabad. The case has been adjourned till September 16, 2025.

HEC’s new position has also raised doubt on its intention and ability to exercise its power and authority to sanction policy and guidelines for promotion of BPS teachers of universities under clause 10.1.Q of HEC Ordinance 2002.

The judgment of the case is expected with the hope that it will result in the removal of such discriminatory policies against the BPS teaching faculty and the establishment of justice in the field of higher education.