APPOINTMENT AND PROMOTION OF UNIVERSITY

FACULTY: THE POINT-WEIGHTAGE SYSTEM

By

Tariq Rahman Ph. D

Professor and Director, Chair on Quaid-i-Azam

and Freedom Movement

National Institute of Pakistan Studies

Quaid-i-Azam University

Islamabad

Appointment and Promotion of Faculty: The Point-Weightage System

1. Introduction

One of the most important criteria for excellence in universities is their faculty. University faculty, in contrast to school and college faculty, is supposed to create and not only disseminate knowledge. This means that academics must be researchers as well as teachers. Indeed, because so far Pakistani universities have paid only lip service to research, it is time that research is emphasized more than teaching in the best universities of the country. It is with this in mind that the following criteria for appointment and promotion of faculty are proposed.

2. Entry Qualifications and Promotion

University faculty members must begin their career as Teaching/Research Assistants. This appointment should be purely temporary and subject to their successful completion of Ph. D degree from an accredited and reputable university in an advanced country. After this they will be inducted as University Lecturers.

Every post will be advertised and anyone qualifying for it, whether from another university or research institute, will be appointed. The minimum qualifications expressed in points for each university post are given in Box-1. The points will be explained later.

Box-1 Proposed Emoluments and Qualifications for Entry and Promotion of Academics
Rank	Salary	Minimum Qualification
Teaching Assistants	NPS-18 (Status of a major, NPS-18 civil servant).	M.A/M.S.C (first position or among the top ten candidates in the CSSP examination).
Lecturer	NPS-19 (Status of a Lt. Colonel, deputy secretary).	Ph. D (only from a recognized, highly regarded foreign university till such time that Pakistani universities become equally highly regarded)
Assistant Professor	NPS-20 (office facilities such as computer, phone, shared fax, research assistant when working on a project) (status of a brigadier, federal joint secretary).	100 points
Associate Professor	NPS-21 (computer, phone, shared fax, research assistant when working on a project) (status of a major general, federal additional secretary).	200 points
Professor	Rs 1,00,000 to 1,50,000 per-month + chauffeur driven car + research assistant when required. Status of a Lt. General, federal secretary.	300 points (at least 150 points must be earned from research)
National Distinguished Professor	Rs 1,50,000 to 2,00,000 per-month + chauffeur driven car + office with permanent staff + research assistant. Status of a minister of state.	400 points (at least 300 points must be earned from research)

3. The Point–Weightage System

In order to create quantifiable criteria for appointment and promotion a point-weightage system is proposed. This means that articles published in indexed journals, courses taught, theses supervised, conferences attended, books published and edited etc should be given weightage in points. This may be as follows:

3. Publication

3.1 Points for researchers in the Social Sciences/Humanities etc.

Every article/paper published in an anonymously refereed, indexed and/or abstracted journal should be given ONE POINT each for every index the journal is on upto a maximum of 5 points. Journals not an any index will carry no points.

For example if a journal is on MLA (Modern Language Association Index) it will carry one point. If it is on both MLA and Social Science Index, it will carry two points and so on.

3.2 Books/Monographs etc.

Books published by reputable publishing houses will carry 5 points upon publication. Every positive review in an indexed journal will carry additional 5 points. A positive review in a publication which is not indexed, including newspapers, will carry 1 point.

Monographs, if refereed, will carry 2 points. Each positive review in an indexed journal will carry 1 point while reviews in newspapers etc will carry 0.50 points.

3.3 Edited Books/compilations etc

Edited books and compilations will carry 1 point. Positive Reviews in indexed journals will carry 1 point while reviews in newspapers etc will carry 0.50 points.

3.4 Book Reviews

Each book review in an indexed journal will carry 2 points. Reviews published in non-indexed publications will carry 0.50 points each.

4. Conferences

4.1 Presentation of papers in a National Conference.

An invited paper presentation in a national conference will carry 0.50 points. If published in the proceedings of the conference it will carry 1 point.

4.2 Presentation of Papers in an International Conference.

An invited paper will carry 1 point. A keynote address will carry 2 points. If published the points will be doubled (i.e. paper in proceedings of conference = 2; keynote address in proceedings = 4).

5. Teaching

5.1 Classroom Lecturing

Points for teachers in all subjects

Every course taught to students may be evaluated with the consent and prior permission of the lecturer. The evaluation will be on a ten-point scale by students who will not give their names on the evaluation sheet. Any teacher getting less then 50% average will get no points; 50% average will get 1 point while those with 90% average will get 2 points.

All teachers should have the option of not having their courses evaluated by students. In that case they well get no point for their teaching.

5.2 Open Lectures

Each lecture before one’s peers, public lectures etc may be evaluated with his or her consent and prior permission. The evaluation will be done by the members of the audience on a ten-point scale. Anyone getting below 50% average will get no points. Those with an average of 50% and above will get 1 point while those with 90% average will get 2 points.

All lecturers should have the option of not having their public lectures evaluated by their peers. In that case they will get no points for such lectures.

6. Supervision of Research

For the supervision of a Ph. D thesis the supervisor will get 3 points; for an M. Phil 2 points and for an M. Sc thesis only 1 point. However, the Ph. D thesis should have been sent for opinion to at least three experts on the subject two of whom should be teaching or doing research in a reputable university in an advanced country.

Supervisors can gain 1 extra point for every article the student publishes in an indexed, refereed, abstracted journal provided it is based on the thesis which has been supervised by the supervisor who claims this extra point.

7. Hypothetical Career Patterns of Academics on the Point–Weightage System.

By way of example let us see how the point-weightage system will affect the careers of (1) Researchers (2) Teachers (3) Researchers + Teachers.

7.1 Researchers

Suppose a researchers manages to publish two papers per year in journals on 5 (or more) indices. The points are as follows:

Year – 1 2x5 = 10 points

In 10 years 10x10 = 100 points (University Assistant Professor)

In 20 years 200 points (University Associate Professor)

In 30 years 300 points (University Professor)

In short, an excellent researcher, publishing two articles per year in good journals can become a university professor in 30 years.

In any case, the researcher will contribute to conferences, review and write books too. This will mean that some outstanding people will qualify for the highest academic positions in less time. Really outstanding ones will qualify for becoming National Distinguished Professors.

7.2 Teachers

Let us now take the case of someone who does not publish at all. Let us further assume that the person is a competent, hard working teacher and opts to be evaluated by students who grade him at 90% and above every time. Let us further assume that he/she is teaching 4 courses per year. Then the cumulative points one:

Years – 1 4x2 = 8 points

In 10 years 10x8 = 80 points

In 20 years 160 points

In 30 years 240 points

However, since a person has to obtain 150 points from research, one cannot become a professor if one is not a published scholar or scientist. However, if the person in question participates in conferences and publishes papers it is possible to reach that level.

7.3 Teachers + Researchers

Since faculty members are supposed to do both research and teaching, anyone who is competent in both stands to great advantage. Let us see what the cumulative points for such a person may be:

If the person gets two research publications in good journals and teaches two courses per year. Then, assuming excellent performance in both, the cumulative point-weightage is:

Research journals (2 articles of 5- point each) = 10 points

Two evaluated courses = 8 points

Total = 18 points

In 10 years 18x10 = 180 points

In 20 years = 360 points

In 30 years = 540 points

In short, a competent social scientist can qualify for the highest academic positions in 30 years or less by combining research and good teaching.

8. Scientists

The author of this paper does not know enough about the sciences to be able to hazard any credible opinion on the subject. A tentative suggestion is that the impact factor may be multiplied by a constant number (let us say 10) to give the point weightage. Thus someone with an impact factor of 40 will have a point-weightage of 40x10 – 400. The constant number can be determined by scientists and may even be different from subject to subject.

9. Conclusion

Quantification is a rough and inexact measure of excellence. No matter what method of quantification is followed there are problems which may never be overcome to the satisfaction of all concerned. The point-weightage system proposed in this paper too has these shortcomings. However, it does represent one attempt, however faulty at present, to create a transparent and objective method of appointment and promotion in the universities of Pakistan. If it is tried out, it should be ensured that those already in service should be given the option to volunteer for it on terms which do not require them to resign from their present posts. They should also retire on terms which have already been agreed with them or new terms which are advantageous for them. Moreover, those who do opt for the new system will also be compensated by the higher remuneration package which accompanies it. Those who do not opt for this new system should continue to serve under the present terms and conditions till they retire. This system may be tried on an experimental basis in only one or two universities to begin with.