Pakistan’s public universities are facing an escalating academic crisis as Tenure Track System (TTS) faculty struggle with frozen salaries, rising taxation and runaway inflation, according to reports in The Express Tribune. The TTS, introduced in 2002 to attract PhD-level academics with competitive pay, has not seen meaningful revisions for staff since 2021, and the last recruitment round was held in 2020. Universities report growing attrition and low morale among faculty as a result.
Figures presented to the Senate Standing Committee on Finance show assistant professors, associate professors and professors on TTS remain at PKR 175,500, PKR 263,250 and PKR 394,875 respectively since 2021. Between 2021 and 2025 Pakistan endured repeated inflation shocks, including a historic peak of 38%, while the tax burden on these academics rose by roughly 81%, sharply eroding real incomes.
Negotiations between the finance ministry and the Association of Pakistan Tenure Track Teachers (APTTA) have yet to yield a final settlement. Officials have reportedly proposed a one-time adjustment that might exclude several allowances, limiting practical relief. A special task force led by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal previously recommended aligning TTS salaries with the Basic Pay Scale system plus a 35% premium to maintain competitiveness, but those recommendations remain unimplemented.
Stakeholders warn that continued inaction will accelerate brain drain from higher education, jeopardizing research capacity, international grant retention and university rankings. Nearly 4,000 faculty members are reported to be affected. The situation has prompted calls for a sustainable, transparent pay revision to stabilize Pakistan’s universities and retain academic talent (sources: The Express Tribune; ANI).
