Universities warned to fill vacant posts or face penalty

Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission (HEC) has issued a stern directive requiring all universities to fill their vacant administrative and faculty positions by 15 August, warning that institutions failing to do so will face regulatory consequences.

The nationwide warning delivered in writing on 27 February reflects deepening concern at the lack of progress made since alarming findings published a year ago indicated that nearly 40% of all administrative and faculty positions across higher education institutions were vacant.

“This survey was presented at the HEC’s 13th meeting in February last year, and its findings were shared with the universities the same month, but universities persistently failed to fill the vacant positions, resulting in this stern warning,” HEC chairperson Dr Niaz Ahmed Akhtar told University World News.

In his latest letter to the rectors and vice-chancellors, Akhtar deplored the widespread failure by the universities to fill essential academic and administrative roles. He described prolonged vacancies across core faculties and statutory offices as a severe governance failure, resulting in declining higher education standards.

He pointed out that vacant key positions, ranging from those of dean and registrar to professor and lecturer, force institutions into an unsustainable reliance on stopgap measures such as ad hoc hiring.

Lowered standards

He observed that the persistent failure of universities to appoint permanent academic and administrative staff ultimately deprives students of the high-quality education, mentorship, and institutional support for which they joined the universities.

Academics agree that ad hoc appointments at Pakistan’s universities have weakened the governance system and have resulted in poor teaching and research standards.

Dean at the School of Politics and International Relations at Islamabad’s Quaid-i-Azam University, Professor Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, told University World News”: For many years, universities in Pakistan have functioned under stopgap administrative arrangements, with key academic and managerial positions frequently filled on an acting or short-term basis.”

He said individuals occupying these roles tend to serve in a caretaker capacity, without a formal or permanent mandate, which significantly limits their ability to make timely and effective decisions.

“This persistent absence of decision-making leadership has gradually eroded institutional stability across the higher education sector, ultimately contributing to a decline in academic standards nationwide,” Jaspal told University World News.

In May 2024, during an ongoing hearing by the Supreme Court of a case filed by the All Public Universities BPS Teachers Association, which represents approximately 50,000 university professors, then chief justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa reprimanded the government over the systemic collapse of the higher education sector, in part due to a chronic failure to appoint permanent vice-chancellors.

During that hearing, the HEC informed the court that 66 out of 154 government-sector universities were operating without regular heads and instead were relying on interim or acting administrators.

The chief justice stressed that fixing the higher education sector with transparent, permanent leadership was an urgent prerequisite for the country's intellectual, social, and economic survival.

The court ordered provincial governments to fill the vacant vice-chancellor posts and submit compliance reports.

Despite past orders by the highest court of the country, the issue of vacant posts at universities remains persistent.

Stakeholders worry that leadership vacuums in particular have led to academic stagnation, with institutions struggling to plan ahead, launch new programmes, attract research funding, or develop international collaborations.

“Without permanent leaders having official authority, our universities are missing out on a global scale as universities in other countries are moving ahead with cross-border partnerships for innovative research.

“Pakistan’s higher education sector is being left behind because of temporary administrators who lack the mandate to authorise long-term initiatives,” Dr Tariq Banuri, former HEC chair, told University World News.

Persistent funding crisis

Academics argue that part of the reason behind the vacancies is a persistent funding crisis at Pakistani universities which has pushed many universities to the brink of financial collapse and has forced them to make drastic operational cuts.

Faced with stagnant or significantly reduced federal grants and meagre funding from provincial governments, coupled with skyrocketing inflation and high utility costs, institutions are increasingly struggling to meet basic financial obligations like faculty salaries and pensions.

“Lack of adequate funds from both federal and provincial governments has forced many public sector universities to halt critical infrastructure projects, slash research budgets, and freeze permanent hiring. Permanent hires amid this financially stifling situation [are] quite impracticable,” Professor Johar Ali, vice-chancellor of the University of Peshawar, located in the north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, told University World News.

Johar said: “Many universities are under intense financial pressure, struggling to pay salaries and pensions on time. In such circumstances, making permanent appointments becomes a major challenge, forcing institutions to delay or avoid long-term hiring decisions.”

Doctor Muhammad Irfan Ashraf, associate professor of forestry at the University of Sargodha (in Punjab province), told University World News: “Due to vacant academic positions at universities, the teaching staff are assigned additional responsibilities. That is leading towards lowering academic standards, overburdening existing faculty, and reducing time for research and professional growth.”

He said gaps in key administrative roles are also causing delays in student services, creating frustration and uncertainty.

Irfan Ashraf said tuition fees have been raised annually by the universities for a number of years due to rising inflation and increased administrative expenses.

“This high cost, coupled with compromised academic standards due to vacant positions, is leading a number of Pakistani students to pursue higher education in foreign universities.

“The August 15 deadline is intended to end ad hoc appointments and restore merit-based hiring in universities. However, without addressing financial challenges and safeguarding academic autonomy, recruitment alone will not fully resolve the deeper problems facing the higher education sector in Pakistan,” said Irfan Ashraf.