Sindh’s provincial government is preparing to ask the cabinet to raise the university teacher retirement age from 60 to 65 years. Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah said a summary on the change would be placed before the provincial cabinet after a meeting with vice chancellors of 32 public universities across the province.
The session also covered finances, administration, academic standards, research, infrastructure and student facilities. It was attended by the chairman of the Sindh Higher Education Commission (SHEC, the provincial higher-education regulator), the secretary of universities and boards, the vice chancellors and other officials.
What the retirement proposal would change
Under the plan described by Shah, the university professor retirement age would move five years later, from 60 to 65. The step is not yet law: it must go through the provincial cabinet. Shah also said the government would approach federal authorities on matters that fall under their control.
He framed the idea against pressure on public campuses to keep experienced teachers. Vice chancellors told the meeting that private universities were attracting senior faculty with higher pay, while some teachers leave for work abroad or try to go overseas again after returning, which breaks continuity in departments.
Money pressure on public universities
Shah said the government is providing Rs44.46 billion in grants to Sindh’s universities in the current financial year and wants practical solutions with university administrations. He identified pension liabilities as a major strain and called for discouraging unnecessary recruitment, especially in non-teaching posts, to ease the burden.
Vice chancellors pointed to the same pension load, high electricity bills, faculty shortages and other staffing gaps. Shah said a solarisation plan would be introduced for universities to cut power costs and directed campuses to remove illegal electricity connections.
Governance, research and new campuses
Recommendations on university syndicates (the governing boards that set key campus policies) will also go to the cabinet. Shah said the government would consider placing people with education and higher-education backgrounds on those bodies and urged stronger use of alumni for institutional development.
He asked vice chancellors to send research proposals for possible government support, pressed for accredited research with closer industry links, and encouraged ties with foreign universities. On new campuses, he called for feasibility studies, estimates of potential student numbers, and clear benchmarks so expansions are academically justified and financially sustainable.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Sindh sarkar university professors ki retirement age 60 se 65 karne ka proposal cabinet ko bhejne wali hai. Abhi yeh faisla nahi hua, cabinet ke paas jayega. Public universities ko pension, bijli ke bill aur asatiza ke jaane ki pareshani hai. Agar plan manzoor hua to senior teachers campus par zyada arsay tak reh sakte hain.
