HEC authorises varsities to decide promotion, other cases

LAHORE: As a step forward towards enhancing the universities’ autonomy, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has authorised the universities to decide through their statutory bodies all Tenure Track System (TTS) cases, including initial appointment, tenure and promotion.

According to a press release, HEC has issued a notification announcing its decision to abolish the endorsement requirement and replace it with a self-governed decision-making process in order to expedite the disposal of TTS cases and empower the universities’ statutory institutions and processes.

HEC will now require all universities to submit a formal declaration signed by the registrar to affirm that the decision has been made strictly in accordance with the prescribed rules and regulations. On the basis of this declaration, HEC will accept the universities’ decisions without subjecting them to further bureaucratic delays.

In order to strengthen the universities’ statutory bodies, HEC has made it clear that its representatives on these statutory bodies will be held responsible for presenting the regulatory requirements and advising on all related matters in order to ensure the protection of the rights of all faculty members.

In case of any grievances against the university's TTS related decision, the statutory body will provide the aggrieved person with an opportunity to be heard. Finally, he/she will also have the right to appeal to a grievance committee to be established by HEC for this purpose.

The notification categorically reveals that the university's decision could be set aside if the rules are violated. Besides, persistent violations or submission of false or misleading declarations by a university may result in additional penalties including exclusion from the TTS programme.