HEC to take up VCs salary package

LAHORE : The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has decided to take up the issue vis-à-vis upward revision in the salary package of vice chancellors (VCs) of federally chartered public sector universities, it is learnt.

Earlier the HEC had moved a summary to the President of Pakistan/Chancellor on August 1, 2017. However, there has been no progress since then. The issue of upward revision in the salary package was discussed at the consultative meeting of the VCs at federal HEC on March 1 which was attended by its Chairman Dr Tariq Banuri and a large number of VCs/rectors of public universities from across the country.

Sources said the meeting was told that Punjab government had already approved enhanced salary package for the VCs of public sector universities of the province by granting maximum of Tenure Track Salary Package of Professor i.e. 15 increments in advance in 2017. “Unless vice chancellors’ salary package is made attractive in terms of monetary and related benefits, it would become increasingly difficult to ensure selection of best of the best professionals in federally chartered universities and elsewhere in the country,” reads the HEC’s agenda document prepared for the meeting.

Against existing basic salary of Rs 292,500 under VCs’ salary package for year one, effective since July 2015 (except for Punjab), the HEC has proposed Rs 507,000 basic salary for year one with 10 percent annual increment of basic salary.

As per the existing package (except for Punjab) a VC gets Rs 351,000 per month during first year of his/her tenure with maximum Rs 402,480 during the fourth and last year of the tenure. While as per the proposed package one month salary of a VC is Rs 760,500 per month for first year and maximum Rs 996,238 per month during the last year of his/her tenure. Similarly, the HEC has also proposed gratuity equivalent to one month basic salary i.e. Rs 507,000.

It is pertinent to mention here that VCs are already getting transport and medical facilities as per entitlement of basic pay scale (BPS) 22.

Interestingly, this issue vis-à-vis upward revision of the VCs salary was discussed at a time when the public sector universities are facing a financial emergency (as the HEC itself mentioned in its press release the other day) because of budget cuts during the past three years.

Besides financial matters of the public sector universities across Pakistan, the meeting also discussed complaints by students on the Prime Minister Citizens Portal. The meeting was told that as most of the university students were well versed with IT therefore the burden of grievances on this portal was huge. The universities have now been asked to manage university related complaints on the portal efficiently.