ISLAMABAD-More than 1,200 PhDs, who had completed their higher studies from both abroad and within the country, yearning for jobs at teaching portfolios or research positions in universities across the country.
They dreamt to be employed at their country’s institutions once they completed their doctorates.
Lamenting their dilemma, PhD scholars observed that the Higher Education Commission had signed agreements and bonds with the management of universities’ and scholars under which those travelling abroad for studies were bound to return to the country, stay for five years in addition to teaching at local universities for three years. It is worth mentioning here that it is up to them to get jobs in the country to fulfil the commitment of the Higher Education Commission to teach in country’s higher educational institutions. But it seems that the move was in vain as scholars complained that have been unemployed.
Universities were bound to induct and provide such scholars with jobs by advertising positions in national dailies. The higher educational institutions were also bound to maintain students to teacher ratio which means one teacher for twenty students.
The PhD graduates, who had completed their studies abroad on government-provided scholarships, expressed resentment that they were not being adjusted even on intern basis.
Dr Shehri – an unemployed PhD degree holder observed that if Higher Education Commission was not well-positioned towards providing jobs to the scholars, it should not have bound them to return.
He said that Pakistan had produced 15,000 PhD scholars since its inception, adding that at the moment, there were as many as 10,000 PhD scholars in the country.
The scholars were getting overage while fulfilling the contract of not to travel out of country for five years, he lamented.
Meanwhile, President Young PhD Scholars Association Dr Sher Afzal told APP that Higher Education Commission was investing millions of rupees on these scholars but they were unable to get jobs in the academic institutions.