Punjab University Raises Limit for Faculty’s Extra Courses

Punjab University has raised the limit on the number of extra courses faculty members can take from three to five, sparking concerns among academics over the potential impact on teaching and research. The new workload rules for BPS and TTS faculty came into effect from the Fall 2026 semester. BPS lecturers and assistant professors will still have a prescribed workload of nine credit hours, while associate professors and professors will have six, and chairpersons, directors, principals, and deans will have three.

Faculty members can now receive payment for up to five additional courses, up from three. TTS faculty have also been given a ceiling of five courses, previously allowed up to two-thirds of their normal workload. The university’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ali Shah, stated that the Deans’ Committee and Semester Implementation Committee recommended the change, believing faculty could handle the additional workload without compromising education or research quality.

However, academics argue that this decision may lead to a heavier teaching burden, reducing the time available for preparation, supervision, and research. They claim the change is likely related to a faculty shortage and advocate for the university to hire more teachers rather than assigning additional courses to existing staff.