The Government of Sindh has announced a significant increase in the salaries of vice-chancellors (VCs) at public universities in the province. According to the official notification, the minimum salary for VCs will now be Rs684,450 per year, marking an increase of around Rs20,000 annually. Additionally, the ‘vice-chancellor allowance,’ set at 20% of the basic salary, will now exceed Rs136,000, bringing the total monthly wage of VCs to over Rs820,000. The notification, issued by the Department of Universities and Boards with approval from the Sindh Chief Minister, ensures that all VCs will continue to receive this enhanced pay structure for the remainder of their terms. The timing of this announcement is particularly significant, as five new VCs were appointed in Sindh just a day before this announcement, while several others are already in the second, third, or fourth year of their current tenure. This means that a substantial number of VCs will significantly benefit from this salary adjustment, which is aimed at aligning their remuneration with the highest TTS (Tenure Track System) scale. Previously, on June 20,

The Express group published an investigative report highlighting the disparities and low salaries among vice-chancellors (VCs) in the province of Sindh. The report pointed out that some VCs were earning salaries comparable to or only slightly above those of professors, while others received between Rs1 million and Rs3 million due to the lack of a fixed upper limit. Furthermore, a former VC reportedly earned around Rs3 million per month throughout his tenure without the required approval from relevant authorities or the Chief Minister. The recent notification from the Sindh government, however, does not specify an upper limit for VCs’ salaries and describes this increase as the ‘standardization/rationalization of salaries.’ This move is in contrast to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) in Islamabad, which has recently approved a minimum monthly salary of Rs1 million for VCs of public universities across the country. However, due to delays by the HEC, this decision has yet to be implemented at the provincial level in Sindh.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan