PhD scholars protest lack of jobs

Members of the PhD Doctors' Association Pakistan staged a protest demonstration last week against the Higher Education Commission for failing to provide them with regular jobs, writes Muhammad Faisal Kaleem for the Daily Times.

Dozens of the PhD scholars gathered outside the National Press Club where they held placards and banners outlining their demands. The protesters said that they were still jobless even after acquiring the highest education in their relevant fields from foreign and local universities.

According to the information provided by the protesters, around 400 PhD scholars are jobless. They maintain that under the relevant Higher Education Commission or HEC policy, PhD graduates who complete their degrees on HEC's foreign or indigenous scholarships had to serve for five years in Pakistan. However, finding a job on interim placement was extremely difficult.
Full report on the Daily Times site