About the Author(s)
Nusrat Azeema
Author is an academic and researcher with a strong foundation in Mass Communication, having completed her MPhil in the field. Her research interests focus on the intersection of communication strategies and social development, with a particular emphasis on early childhood development.
Faculty members are crucial in fostering the intellectual and personal growth of students outside the confines of the classroom. Nevertheless, the growing dependence on visiting and temporary faculty members has very important consequences on the undergraduate education. Students are advised to establish robust intellectual and personal relationships with their teachers, as these connections frequently result in letters of recommendation or research prospects. However, students who establish connections with contingent teachers may face a disadvantage when attempting to utilize this social capital in the future. Unaware of the distinctions between ranks such as assistant professor, associate professor, or visiting assistant professor, many students mistakenly believe that all faculty members have a long-term affiliation with the university. Visiting professors, specifically, may have restricted availability of school resources and frequently lack the time or institutional affiliation to fulfill the roles of advisors, mentors, or sources of support. Given this ambiguity, it becomes challenging to establish a firm commitment to providing sustained academic assistance, such as undertaking independent study projects for upcoming semesters. While engaged in my own contract negotiations last spring, I encountered difficulty in articulating to my students my uncertainty regarding my continued membership in the faculty for the forthcoming autumn semester.
The field of education encompasses both the dissemination of knowledge to others and the acquisition of knowledge from another individual. This concept includes not just the knowledge acquired through official education or training, but also the wider establishment of the teaching profession. Historically, the designation of “visiting professor” had a particular level of distinction. It denoted a considerable degree of proficiency and acknowledgment in one’s area of specialization, implying that the person was enough distinguished to depart from their own educational institution and transfer their dedicated knowledge to another. Attaining the position of a visiting professor was indicative of exceptional skill and professional achievement. Nevertheless, in the present-day setting, this perception has undergone substantial transformation. Similar to other regions globally, Pakistan’s higher education system is transitioning towards a transactional model that prioritises short-term recruitments over long-term faculty appointments. Despite the difficult job market, there is an increase in the recruitment of visiting professors to address personnel shortages, but a decrease in the number of permanent or tenure-track positions being provided.
The decision to employ visiting academics is motivated by multiple factors. Occasionally, there arises a need for temporary coverage of a job owing to the retirement of a faculty member, and until authorization for a new permanent hire has been obtained. On occasion, a specialist may be on a leave of absence, and the remaining faculty members may lack the necessary skills or willingness to teach courses that are not within their specialized competencies. Furthermore, departments may choose to evade the obligation of teaching specific courses every semester, electing for temporary solutions instead of the more rigorous procedure of recruiting a tenure-track professor. This growing dependence on visiting faculty is indicative of the wider difficulties confronting the academic employment market in the present day.
Higher education institutions frequently make a deliberate decision to hire a visiting lecturer in order to minimize expenses. Although visiting professors generally earn more than adjuncts, their salaries are still considerably lower than those of tenured or tenure-track peers. This makes these posts appealing to the increasing number of PhDs entering a very competitive job market, especially in recent years. Nevertheless, this method has pronounced disadvantages that affect both the institutions and the students, thereby diminishing the attractiveness of the visiting professor position. These factors encompass a lower level of collegiality among faculty members, a drop in the intellectual and personal development of students, and a deterioration in the efficiency of the institution. It is imperative to acknowledge that these concerns are not exclusive to any particular institution but are prevalent throughout higher education.
Visiting professors encounter similar expectations as tenured professors, including the obligation to publish and make contributions to their academic discipline. This burden often distracts them from their students and diminishes the standard of undergraduate instruction. Furthermore, several visiting professors manage several teaching roles at other universities in order to secure a sufficient income, or they are focused on finding their next long-term job. The persistent expectation to secure steady job can result in a diminished concentration on the present academic responsibilities, therefore jeopardizing the educational atmosphere for students.
Furthermore, visiting professors frequently deprive themselves of the chances and resources that are available to permanent faculty, including financial support for course creation, travel costs for academic endeavors, and the capacity to employ student research assistants. Although these chances are crucial for academic advancement and professional development, visiting professors are often not included in these long-term commitments due to the short-term nature of their contracts. This constrains their capacity to formulate future plans and actively participate in the academic community. One further obstacle encountered by visiting professors is the duration required to establish connections and acclimate to the particular culture and processes of a new academic institution. Social capital, which refers to the informal networks of relationships that facilitate collaboration and support among faculty members, requires time to establish. However, visiting professors typically lack the flexibility to allocate time for this purpose. Once individuals have acclimated to the requirements of their new position, their contract may already be approaching its conclusion, therefore limiting their availability to make significant contributions to the academic and social aspects of the institution. Ultimately, the dependence on visiting professors establishes an inherent instability in higher education, affecting not just the individual faculty members but also the whole academic community. The transient character of these roles weakens the sustained and unified structure of academic departments, disturbs the student experience, and diminishes the general productivity and efficacy of the institution. As this pattern persists, the repercussions for higher education as a whole become increasingly evident, indicating that the excessive dependence on visiting professors is an inadequate resolution to the budgetary constraints encountered by universities in the present day.
By the time you have finished your Master of Philosophy or Doctor of Philosophy degree in Pakistan, you are qualified to teach at universities. The hiring of professors at universities is determined by the requirements of the institution, and when a new department is established without permanent staff, the university frequently offers positions for visiting academics. The average monthly salary for a permanent lecturer at a private institution is between 35,000 and 40,000 Pakistani Rupees (PKR), whereas the salary for a permanent lecturer in the government sector might range anywhere from 70,000 to 80,000 PKR to begin with. Payment is made on a per-credit-hour basis for visiting academics, and the amount typically ranges from 1,000 to 2,500 Pakistani Rupees. For example, if a person earns 1,000 Pakistani Rupees (PKR) each credit hour and teaches a course that is worth three credit hours, they would earn 12,000 Pakistani Rupees (PKR) per month. This is in contrast to the 35,000 Pakistani Rupees that regular lecturers in private universities make, and the 70,000 Pakistani Rupees that government employees earn. As a result of the deductions for taxes and welfare funds, as well as the possibility of wage reductions due to absence, the earnings of the visiting professor may be reduced to approximately 9,000 to 10,000 Pakistani Rupees. With the promise of “gaining experience,” universities frequently take advantage of new faculty members, and then they ensnare them in bureaucratic procedures, such as submitting documents, sending emails, and making phone calls. When it comes to receiving their income for the semester, some faculty members have to wait anywhere from one to two years, while others never receive it at all.
Why hasn’t a self-governing institution like the great university done something about the faculty deficit by hiring permanent staff? Why does administration and finance continue to be oblivious to visiting faculty members’ documents, making them re-submit photocopies time and time again, even after a semester has ended? Why don’t hiring authorities verify that government personnel from one university are qualified and up to par before allowing them to teach as visiting faculty at another institution? Why do students always pay their fees on time, yet professors often have to wait for their paychecks? The question that arises is why visiting faculty members are subject to welfare fund deductions even though they are never actually eligible for welfare benefits? For visiting professors, why isn’t there a set rate that depends on the number of credit hours they teach? Also, why do references matter more than actual qualifications when hiring visiting professors? Lastly, why, instead of valuing experience and expertise, do private colleges choose to employ permanent faculty members who are ready to labor for low wages?
