The Tenure Track System introduced by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) is brining about a revolution in the higher education sector since it is reversing the brain-drain and attracting our best minds into sciences in public sector universities, University of Health Sciences (UHS), Vice Chancellor Professor Malik Hussain Mubbashar said in his lecture on "tenure track system and its implications" here on Tuesday.
UHS Biochemistry Department head Professor Ghulam Ali Qureshi also delivered a lecture. Professor Mubbashar said the UHS would make all new appointments at the assistant professors' level on the tenure track basis. He also said the UHS would send 19 students abroad for higher education in reputed international universities for which the HEC would provide Rs 93 million to the university.
Professor Qureshi earlier discussed about various aspects of the tenure track system. This, he explained, was in sharp contrast to the situation in Pakistani universities where an academic enjoyed a permanent position on the faculty almost from the start and for all practical purposes could not be removed from it even if he or she was a complete deadwood.
Dr Qureshi said in the system introduced by HEC, an academic would be initially appointed for a 3-year period followed by a 'review' which if successful would automatically lead to a renewal of the contract for another three-year period.
At the end of the 6-year probationary period, a committee of experts would consider the faculty member for tenure appointment on the basis of publications, teaching and service. Dr Qureshi said the system could be very useful for the universities since it would introduce research culture and revision of outdated courses.