ISLAMABAD-Dozens of Tenure Track System (TTS) university teachers on Monday staged a protest outside Higher Education Commission (HEC) till the sunset for non-implementation on the recommendations of the review committee regarding strengthening the TTS faculty. 
The university teachers from federal capital, Khyber- Pkathunkhwa (KP) and Punjab stormed outside HEC carrying the banners for immediate implementation of their demands regarding service structure and research facilities.  The faculty carrying banners and placards of their demands staged a sit-in on the main avenue before HEC and stayed there than six hours till the sunset. 
The TTS faculty presenting their demands for immediate implementation held sloganeering against alleged discriminatory policies of HEC with TTS and stressed for the resignation of Chairman HEC Dr. Tariq Banuri.
President All Pakistan Tenure Track Teachers Alliance (APTTA) Dr. Khurram Shahzad presenting the demands of the community on road said that TTS model statutes needs thorough revision, a committee must be constituted in consultation with APTTA to review existing statutes thereby removing added anomalies. 
He said that the decisions of commission meetings must be notified within one month of the meeting and due promotions/appointments/endorsement of faculty members must not be affected due to procedural lapse/delay on the part of university management or HEC. 
Protesting teachers demanded that the endorsement/promotion/ appointment that is approved by the university forums must be honoured as a matter of fact that HEC is part of the university forums continued to be part of all those approvals and decision. The demanded that APPTA must be given due consideration in policy making at HEC level particularly related to TTS affairs and universities should be directed to not make any policy decision contrary to HEC guidelines. 
The demands of the protesting teachers also added that in case of any meeting of APTTA with HEC officials, it must be agreed upon to release minutes of corresponding meetings for information and further record. 
Secretary General APPTA Dr. Zaighum said that there are around 6000 TTS faculty in universities of the country and they are facing problems. 
He said that HEC had formed a committee to resolve the problems of TTS faculty which failed in addressing the matters of the teachers. 
“HEC failed in implementing the decisions despite passing a year,” he said.    
Meanwhile, a statement released by HEC said that chairman HEC Tariq Banuri has assured the faculty members working under TTS that the Commission has already made a decision to accept their genuine demands. 
He stated this while talking to a delegation of TTS faculty members who met him at the HEC Secretariat. He was accompanied by Executive Director HEC Dr. Shaista Sohail and Member Operations HEC Dr. Fateh Marri. 
After detailed discussion on different demands by the TTS faculty, it was decided that within the current week HEC will issue three notifications. One notification relates to increase in tenure length of TTS faculty members from six to nine years, with the revised criteria. 
While the other two notifications relate to clarification regarding administrative positions previously held by TTS faculty as well as the future course of action for holding such positions. 
Similarly, two more notifications will be issued in a month’s time. One for the revised salary structure of TTS faculty members and the other one for their pension scheme in light of decisions of the Commission, HEC are governing body. 
It was further discussed that HEC will also consider the other issues raised by TTS faculty members.