Islamabad : Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Associations (FAPUASA) has called upon the Punjab Government to align its policy with that of the Federal Government by exempting university faculty and educational institutions from the recent decision of a two-day salary deduction.
In a notification, Punjab Government announced two-day salary deduction from officers in BPS-17 from April 2026 payroll, citing a Federal directive. However, FAPUASA highlighted a clear inconsistency in this decision noting that the Federal Government already exempted the education sector from such deductions. The application of this policy at the provincial level is, therefore, both inconsistent and unjustified for the academic community.
FAPUASA further emphasised that the 30% Disparity Reduction Allowance (DRA), approved by the Federal Government in the FY 2025–2026 budget, has yet to be implemented by the provinces. Additionally, the recent withdrawal of the 25% tax rebate for teachers and researchers significantly reduced their take-home salaries. In the context of rising inflation and living costs, university faculty are already under considerable financial strain and any further deductions will only exacerbate these challenges.
The Association also expressed serious concern over several long-standing unresolved issues. These include the recurring grant for higher education which remained stagnant at Rs65 billion since 2018, despite a substantial increase in the number of universities, as well as rising salary, pension and operational expenditures which are paid from recurring grant.
Furthermore, delays in the promotion policy for faculty under the Basic Pay Scale (BPS) system and the revision of salaries for those serving under the Tenure Track System (TTS).
In light of these concerns, FAPUASA strongly urges the Punjab Government to immediately reconsider its decision and exempt the education sector from the salary deduction, in line with Federal policy. The Association also calls upon key stakeholders, including Chairperson, Higher Education Commission, HEC, Dr Niaz Ahmad, Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and the Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal to take immediate and proactive measures to address critical issues related to higher education funding, promotion structures for BPS faculty and salary revision under the TTS framework in public sector universities.
