Daily Times

Lack of funds put many employees of National Skills University (NSU), Islamabad in trouble as the university is not paying them revised salaries of April last year, Daily Times has learnt reliably.

Despite passage of over 10 months, the university management still fails to pay its employees as per government’s policy. As per available information, over 1000 employees of the university are suffering from this issue of non-payment. The failure is a hallmark on the university performance as well as on tall claims of the authorities concerned.

Established under a parliamentary act in 2018 called as National Skills University Act, 2018, the NSU was being run as Public Sector Development Programme (PDSDP) of the government. The university pays salaries to all its employees under this project as it yet not become part of the recurring grant salary system.

The Finance Division of the government had revised salaries of NSU in respect of PSDP in April last year. Under that decision, that raise was meant to be paid from PPS-01 to PPS-07 without any discrimination.

According to the Finance Division notification, the government increased salaries of this project from Rs 44,000 to 140,000 respectively that was made effective from April 1, 2022.

As per practice, PSDP funded employees salaries revised after 3 to 4 years. Before this, salaries were 100 percent increased in 2017 and the government revised these salaries in April 2022 with 75 percent increment.

Despite passage of over 10 months since decision made by the government, NSU administration turned this order not in practical which badly suffered the employees.

An official of the university said while wishing anonymity that this laxity was a serious concern among the employees, adding that the issue was put to the authorities concerned repeatedly but in vain.

When approached, Registrar Dr. Sarwat N Mirza categorically denied the facts, saying that “all going good at NSU”. He added that nothing is newsworthy in the aforementioned issue.

Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Mukhtar stated that no salary is pending with the university. In contrast to the Registrar’s statement, Dr Mukhtar admitted that there was an issue due to lack of funds. However, he claimed, now this is settled amicably. If it is fixed why employees are still concerned over this, he responded “there might be some misunderstanding that could be mended through table talk.”

The VC further explained that the NSU was the first public sector university established on the premises of fast job transformation challenges associated with the fourth industrial revolution. “This higher education institute differs from the conventional higher education institutes by paying more attention to inculcating job-ready skills among learners besides their cognitive development,” he claimed.

According to the varsity, graduates of this university are expected to have ample knowledge of workplaces in their field of specializations due to its pedagogical practices focusing more on discipline-specific practical experience.

To spread the technical education, he said, the NSU had also launched a campus in Muridke, Sheikhupura. The VC said that educational institutes across the world are focusing more on skills education when compared with formal educational programs, adding that country empowering youth with skills is the survival of our nation.