UNFORTUNATELY, like all civil servants in the country, teachers also retire after attaining the age of superannuation, i.e. 60, notwithstanding the fact that at this ripe age of experience and wisdom a teacher becomes an intellectual asset for society. It is for this reason that in Western culture the retirement age of a teacher has become irrelevant.

Private sector universities always hunt for talent and immediately employ these scholars on much higher pay and perks.

However, some retired professors are re-employed in public sector universities on a contract basis, especially to guide PhD and MPhil scholars.

Sadly, Sindh University, Jamshoro, has very recently discontinued services of ex-professors appointed as visiting facility on a contract basis by misinterpreting decision of the Supreme Court wherein the apex court has essentially dealt with government servants working on deputations or those contractual employees who either failed to fulfil the required qualification criteria or did not appear before the Public Service Commission and were not the re-hired professors in universities.

The re-employment of retired professors is essentialforhigher seats oflearning, especially functioning in the public sector, as in their absence there would hardly be any suitable persons for guiding students doing PhD and MPhil.

I request the chief minister and the governor of Sindh, (who is also Chancellor of public sector universities), to save the decline in education by immediately restoring retired visiting professors forthwith.

Name withheld on request Hyserabad