Punjab University has increased the maximum number of courses for which faculty members can receive payment beyond their prescribed workload from three to five, raising concerns among academics about the impact on teaching and research.
The university introduced revised workload rules for BPS and TTS faculty from the Fall 2026 semester. Under the new rules, BPS lecturers and assistant professors retain a prescribed workload of nine credit hours, while associate professors and professors have six and chairpersons, directors, principals and deans have three.
Faculty members can now receive payment for additional classes covering up to five courses, compared with three previously. The university has also set a five-course ceiling for TTS faculty. Previously, TTS teachers could take extra classes equivalent to up to two-thirds of their normal workload, subject to departmental requirements and prior approval from the vice chancellor.
PU Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ali Shah told Dawn that the Deans’ Committee and Semester Implementation Committee recommended the change. He said the committees believed faculty could manage the additional workload without affecting education or research quality.
Academics have challenged the decision, arguing that the heavier teaching burden could reduce the time available for lecture preparation, student supervision and research. They said the change appeared linked to a faculty shortage and urged the university to recruit more teachers instead of assigning additional courses to existing staff.
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