—Over 400 jobless PhD degree holders struggle to make both ends meet
ISLAMABAD: Despite spending billions of rupees and achieving the highest education in various fields from foreign and local universities, over 400 PhD degree holders are running from pillar to post in search of a job, but in vain.
Most of these scholars have completed their degrees under the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) scholarship schemes, but they were not provided proper jobs after the completion of their education due to which they were neither able to earn a respectable livelihood for their families nor could they make a positive impact on the society.
Talking to Pakistan Today, the PhD scholars said that they were quite jubilant after being selected for the HEC scholarship because it provided them the opportunity to become genuine scholars.
However, the scholars lamented that they were not aware of the fact that they would struggle to get a job after completing their PhD from well-known educational institutions, despite making efforts to get employment. They also said that they were left with no option but to leave the country, as they were passing through a great ordeal due to the ineffective job placement policy of HEC.
They expressed their frustration on the apathy of the HEC management and the quarters concerned in connection with resolving the issue and said that the commission had so far failed to address their genuine issue. “The HEC spends billions of rupees on granting foreign and local PhD scholarships annually sans any future planning, due to which the scholars have to face such an ordeal,” they added.
Young PhD doctors Association (PDA) Secretary General Dr Faheem Khan said that despite the fact that a large number of public and private sector universities were facing an acute shortage of staff, even then PhD degree holders were not being adjusted in these institutions. He lamented that the PhD degree holders were ignored and discriminated against, while the universities were more interested in hiring visiting staff, which was very unfortunate.
He further said that they were facing the current situation due to the flawed policies of HEC, which made them sign an agreement under which all returning scholars were bound to serve in Pakistani universities for five years. Ironically, the HEC was now providing them contractual jobs for one year under an interim placement programme. He said that it was mentioned in the agreement that the post would be advertised on expiry of the agreement to adjust them there on a permanent basis, but nothing had been achieved on this front so far.
According to the agreement signed with HEC for the appointment of assistant professor, a copy of which is available with Pakistan Today, after joining a university, the varsity would be required to advertise the position within the contract period so that the candidates would have equal opportunity to compete with other candidates for regularisation of their services through normal selection process.
Another scholar said that HEC had planned to produce 38,000 new PhDs scholars in line with its Vision 2025 but was paying no heed towards adjusting the 400 scholars in different universities. They appealed to the prime minister, chief justice, president, Senate chairman and National Assembly speaker to take notice of the issue.
Talking to this scribe, former HEC Chairman Dr Atta-ur-Rehman said that HEC should devise a mechanism to keep the student-teacher ratio balanced in all the public/private universities and it should be strictly implemented, adding that it was the sole panacea to all the existing problems.
He said that the PhD teacher-student ratio should at least be 1-20, which was around 1-100 at present. He advised that the university ranking should also be linked with the strength of its teaching staff with PhD degrees. However, he said the commission had no direct role in providing jobs to the PhD degree holders.
When contacted, HEC Director Media Aayesha Ikram said that the commission had no data of unemployed PhD qualified HEC scholars who were currently unemployed. However, she said that on completion of their studies, HEC scholars have a cushion of one year for placement in universities. There were ample vacancies for the new PhD scholars, however, most scholars preferred to stay in the urban centres of the country, and all of them cannot be accommodated there, she added. “There is a dire need for qualified faculty in universities established in less developed areas but these scholars refuse to take up the offer,” she said.
Its wrong statment that all Phds want to go in universities of big cities. We would like to serve in any place in Pakistan if provide oppertunties
Opportunities are there but covered with masked people who are always willing to deteriorate the strong educational pillars of existing scholars with their deal of corruption.
THE REAL REASON IS THAT UNIVERSITIES ARE AUTONOMOUS WITH POLITICAL INFLUENCE. PHD SCHOLARS ARE ONLY ENTERTAINED FOR ONE YEAR IPFP CONTRACTS AND AFTERWARDS ONLY PERMANENT FACULTY IS GIVEN PRIORITY BECAUSE THEY DON’T LIKE SOMEONE FROM OUTSIDE EVEN THE STUDENT/TEACHER RATIO NEEDS NEW TEACHER APPOINTMENTS. WHO CARES. WE WON’T STAY TO SERVE YOU IF YOU DON’T NEED US. GO TO HELL.
IPFP program is just like a fake game. Soon Ph.D programs will be banned in universities as big creed of Ph.D scholars are unemployed .
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