KP govt's new guidelines for universities draw criticism.

Peshawar -- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has started working on yet another controversial policy, aimed to stop pensionable jobs for the employees of the universities even if they are hired on permanent posts in the varsities.

Earlier, the KP government has drawn criticism from government employees for its decision to extend retirement age of employees, with an aim to shift the burden of pensions on the coming government. Also, the provincial government generated another controversy in the recent past by introducing reforms in the KP Universities Act, thus ending PhD criterion for the appointment of vice chancellors, besides other issues in the plan.

The letter, issued recently by the KP Higher Education Department and shared with The Nation by a senior academician, states the universities in the province are asked to stop pensionable jobs for the employees to be hired from now onwards.

https://nation.com.pk/22-Jan-2021/no-minister-in-broadsheet-investigation-panel-fawad-ch

'Pension scheme having no pension liability for the university shall be implemented for all future recruitments. The guidelines also mention new rules on house subsidies, rents and medical allowances of the university employees. The universities will be assisted in exploring new avenues of financial resources including new renting academic blocks to other institutions....' says the statement from the KP Higher Education, Archives and Libraries Department.

Commenting on the matter, a senior professor of the University of Peshawar said that the PTI-led government in the province thought it should get revenue from the universities.

'Higher education is not something, which should be used by the government to earn money. Instead, the governments in various countries spends on education,' he added.

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