Islamabad, The seventh meeting of the Task Force established to review the pay scale system for recruitment in higher educational institutions was held under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Professor Ahsan Iqbal.
Addressing the meeting, Professor Ahsan Iqbal said that the salaries of teachers recruited under the TTS (Tenure Track System) would be made market-competitive in order to retain competent and talented faculty in educational institutions.
He said that during the tenures of Pakistan Muslim League (N) governments, substantial funds were provided to the Higher Education Commission; however, provincial governments would also need to assume greater responsibility in the higher education sector.
The Federal Minister directed that an effective strategy be developed to provide performance-based incentives to capable and talented teachers, adding that concrete measures are also being taken to retain talented faculty in educational institutions.
Professor Ahsan Iqbal stated that the quality of universities is directly linked to the quality of their faculty, and that higher education institutions must play an active role in addressing the country’s economic challenges.
He said that the promotion system is being fully restructured on a competitive basis, while the current higher education enrollment rate is below 13 percent, which needs to be increased at least threefold.
The Federal Minister for Planning said that the establishment of the US-Pakistan and UK Knowledge Corridors was aimed at improving the quality of human resources, and that arrangements are being made, in collaboration with China and other global partners, to develop a highly skilled workforce.
He further stated that the education sector has now become an important element of soft power, and efforts are underway to attract international students to Pakistani universities.
Professor Ahsan Iqbal added that from 2026 onwards, a formal system of performance audits and ranking of universities will be launched to improve the quality of education.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
