Calls for Urgent Measures to Support University Teacher
Lahore, June 11, 2025 — The President of the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Associations (FAPUASA), Punjab Chapter, Dr. Muhammad Islam, has strongly criticized the federal government’s recently announced budget for the fiscal year 2025–26, calling the salary increase for government employees “insufficient” in light of the country’s rising inflation.
In a statement issued today, Dr. Islam emphasized that the socio-economic conditions of government servants, particularly university teachers, are deteriorating rapidly, and special measures are urgently needed to support them.
“Teachers are the nation-builders, and in all civilized societies, they are treated with dignity and care,” he stated. Sadly, the federal budget announced on June 10, 2025, has once again failed to include any special incentive or relief package for university teachers.
Dr. Islam and Dr. Riaz Hussain Sindhr (Secretary, Punjab Chapter) also expressed serious concern over the static recurring grant for public sector universities, which has remained unchanged from the previous year. They warned that this financial stagnation will exacerbate the already precarious economic situation of universities and their staff, and severely hamper academic and research activities. They said that this situation exposes the government’s hollow rhetoric about building a knowledge-based economy. They also demanded to immediately increase the salary of TTS faculty members, which has remained frozen for many years.
Dr. Islam demanded the federal government immediately clarify that the announced 30% Disparity Reduction Allowance (DRA) will be extended to university teachers as well, without any discrimination or delay. “The pay disparity between university faculty and their counterparts in other government departments has reached alarming levels. In the past, university teachers were unjustly excluded from receiving the DRA. A repeat of that injustice will compel university teachers to take to the streets in protest,” he warned. The president also demanded that the recently restored 25% tax rebate should clearly be extended to the coming years.
The FAPUASA Punjab Chapter also called upon the Punjab government to take bold steps in its upcoming provincial budget on June 13, 2025. The provincial leadership urged that the raise in provincial employees’ salaries should exceed that of the federal government, and that the 30% DRA should be granted to all provincial employees, including university teachers, on an equitable basis.
In line with practices in Sindh province, Dr. Islam further urged the Punjab government to allocate at least Rs. 50 billion as a recurring grant for public universities in Punjab to alleviate their financial distress. Additionally, he called for an increase in the PhD allowance to Rs. 25,000 per month, to remove disparities between university teachers across provinces.
Punjab Chapter of FAPUASA stressed that both the federal and provincial governments must take decisive steps to promote higher education and build a truly knowledge-based economy. “Landmark projects and meaningful incentives for universities and their faculty are not optional – they are essential for the future of this country,” the president said.