HEC proposes uniform salary package for VCs

The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) has sent a summary to the federal finance ministry for a uniform salary package of the vice chancellors across the country.

The final approval to the proposal would be given by the President of Pakistan. According to the summary, in the last year of a vice chancellor's tenure, their annual salary would increase to Rs1,503,152.

Their annual salary in the first year of their tenure would be Rs1,026,675. In the second year, it would be Rs1,129,342, in the third year Rs1,242,276, and in the fourth year Rs1,366,502.

A letter issued by HEC Executive Director Ziaul Qayyum states that the salary package shall be admissible to all vice chancellors/rectors/heads, who shall be appointed through the search committees under the law.

The salary package shall be admissible upon concurrence of the finance division of the respective governments and duly approved by the chancellors of the public sector universities.

According to the proposal, house rent and utilities shall only be admissible when the university-maintained accommodation is not availed by the incumbent vice chancellor/rector/head.

As this salary package is inclusive of all allowances, no other allowance would be admissible.

The budgetary increase by the federal and provincial governments during the start of a fiscal year, shall have no effect on this salary package. However, it shall be revised time to time by the HEC. No individual request for revision of package would be entertained during the tenure of a vice chancellor against the package already agreed upon at the time of their appointment.