NA body calls for regularising long-serving contract teachers, lecturers

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Federal Education, Professional Training, National Heritage and Culture has called for immediate action to grant regular status to educators with ten or more years of service.

The committee expressed dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training’s slow progress in regularising the long-serving contract teachers and lecturers. The committee, which met at the Parliament House on Thursday with Chairman Dr. Azim Uddin Zahid Lakhvi in the chair, emphasised that job security for these professionals is crucial for strengthening Pakistan’s education system. The NA body deferred consideration on The Westminster University of Emerging Sciences and Technology Bill, 2024.

A sub-committee presented comprehensive recommendations to overhaul Pakistan’s education system, particularly targeting higher education reforms. The recommendations included immediate implementation of minimum wage guarantees for all educators, regardless of employment status, and measures to strengthen HEC’s oversight of universities’ financial, administrative, and academic performance. It also called for eliminating ad hocism in university appointments, establishing merit-based processes for selecting vice chancellors, and creating a centralised digital platform to address the backlog of over 30,000 pending degree verifications. Additionally, stricter oversight of partnerships with NGOs was recommended, including legal reviews of existing agreements and standardized MoU templates. The committee also addressed specific institutional issues, including the regularisation of employees at the National Institute of Science and Technical Education and the establishment of the University of Applied Engineering and Emerging Technologies (UAEET), a joint venture between the Punjab and federal governments. A stakeholder meeting was recommended to resolve gaps hindering the university’s completion.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Madrasa Education Board (PMEB) confirmed that contract employees’ regularisation is under way and salaries have been raised to the government-mandated minimum wage of Rs. 37,000. The committee was briefed on the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) fiscal year 2024-25 funding strategy, with a strong focus on completing ongoing projects while implementing strict controls for new development schemes.