Constitution of APTTA

The Constitution of All Pakistan Tenure Track Faculty Association (APTTA) duly approved by General Body of APTTA during its first meeting held at National Agricultural Research Centre, Park Road, Islamabad on 28 January 2018 at 11 AM.

There is a dire need for a strong platform where TTS faculty being top scientists of the country can interact, coordinate, and organize them to discuss the issues related to Tenure Track System (TTS) and play their vital role in national development. The specific motivations for the establishment of APTTA are summarized as follows:

1.1 Awareness and support on TTS issues

1.2 Contribution to national educational policy and scientific development

1.3 A symbol of scientific excellence

1.4 Promote interdisciplinary collaboration and representation

1.5 A bridge between the TTS faculty and HEC/HEIs/Universities/DAIs/Provincial-HECs

2.1 Organize meetings for its members on a regular basis to manage the APTTA, discuss issues of concerns to TTS faculty in their Universities,

2.2 Mobilize potential TTS faculty for enhancing science education, national linkages, and mentorship.

2.3 Provide advisory services to TTS faculty to build their research career potential and promote interdisciplinary research.

2.4 Publication on scientific issues of national importance in magazines etc.

2.5 Connections between senior TTS faculty with young TTS faculty to work on national interest.

3.1 Solutions to problems associated with TTS faculty.

3.2 Providing an effective platform at the TTS faculty and administration interfaces.

3.3 Collaboration between scientists (young and senior) and science organizations nationally to work on scientific issues.

3.4 Empowerment of TTS faculty.

3.5 Enhance the understanding and exposure to science.

3.6 Increased visibility of TTS faculty among scientific community.

3.7 Establishment of interdisciplinary research groups.

3.8 An established link to facilitate sharing of facilities, and expertise among TTS faculty within the country.

4.1 Number of TTS scientists who become members of the APTTA

4.2 Publication of newsletter of APTTA highlighting the activities

4.3 Number of interdisciplinary projects nucleated through the activities of the APTTA

4.4 Number of TTS faculty who participate in the interdisciplinary projects

4.5 Number of research reports (documents, statements, publications, books, proceedings, etc.) emanating from the activities of the APTTA

4.6 Impact and outcomes of the research conducted in the form of books, papers etc.

5.1.1 The name of the Association shall be the All Pakistan Tenure Track Faculty Association (here in the “the Association”) and abbreviated as APTTA.

5.1.2 The legal domicile of the Association will be whole Pakistan including Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).

5.1.3 The Association is subject to the prevailing laws of Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

5.2.1 Higher Education Commission of Pakistan introduced the Model Tenure Track Process Statutes v1.8 in 2005 with improved version of 2.0 in 2008 after amendments in degree awarding institutes parallel to the basic pay scales (BPS-System) to improve the education system. The model was adapted from the Tenure Track Statues published in the University of New Mexico faculty handbook. TTS played a model to overcome the issues of brain drain.

5.2.2 Model Tenure Track Process Statutes specify the rules and regulations pertaining to implementation of the tenure track process at institutes of Higher Education in Pakistan in coordination with the governance and management of institutions to implement the procedure described in this document. Each institution was authorized to enact the approved tenure track statutes following their respective process of enactment of statutes at their institutions to give them autonomy.

5.2.3 However, after passing more than 10 years since implementation and revisions of Model Tenure Track Process Statutes from time to time, disparity among TTS Faculty of the Universities is increasing day by day due to non-involvement of the TTS faculty in policy making, rules, regulations, and ignoring the on-grounds facts.

5.2.4 All Pakistan Tenure Track Faculty Association (APTTA) was established with the support of TTS Faculty Members across Pakistan on 22 October 2017 to raise their voice and highlight issues being faced to them to save and strengthen Higher Education System in Pakistan.

5.3.1 Hereby is constituted the All Pakistan Tenure Track Faculty Association (APTTA).

5.3.2 The APTTA is autonomous with regard to the content of its activities and organizes itself, in consultation with its General Body.

5.3.3 Its members have the status of Member of the All Pakistan Tenure Track Faculty Association and Registered Member (by payment of registration fee) of the All Pakistan Tenure Track Faculty Association who are currently working as Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor under TTS (Tenured and Tenure Track) and across Pakistan including Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).

The objectives of the APTTA are:

5.4.1 To work for uniform implementation of TTS Statutes and Rules and regulations at University level across the country.

5.4.2 To raise voice of TTS faculty on TTS issues faced by TTS faculty by:

(a) Providing a channel for its members to actively participate in dialogue

(b) Developing statements on different issues

5.4.3 To promote innovation and creativity capacity by:

(a) Promoting science, arts, social science and humanities as an engine of national development

(b) Building capacity for scientific research

5.4.4 To encourage the development of novel approaches to problems of national significance by:

(a) Fostering international and interdisciplinary collaborations between scientists

(b) Highlighting Government, research foundations and other organizations to channel resources into identified projects

5.4.5 Any other goals that concern TTS faculty, which the General Body decides to promote.

5.5.1 The membership of the Association shall consist of members and registered members who are working under TTS (Tenured and Tenure Track) employed by any University/DAI/academic and/or research institutes of Pakistan including Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).

5.5.2 Any person, who meets the above described criteria and is actively interested in the purposes of the Association, may become a registered member by payment to the Finance Secretary of such a subscription as is specified in the Rules. All registered members are entitled to voting privileges and are bound by the Constitution and Rules of the Association. The members are also bound by the Constitution and Rules of the Association

5.6.1 The officers of the Association shall be Registered Members of Association and are President, Vice President, General Secretary, Joint Secretary, Finance Secretary, Information Secretary and seven Executive Members (Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Islamabad). These officers shall comprise the Council which (Council) shall have general charge of the affairs of the Association. The Council may appoint other members for specific tasks.

5.6.2 The period between elections of the Council shall be called a 'term'. A term shall be for one year. A term will normally be the period between successive General Body Meetings of the Association.

5.6.3 President and Vice President shall each be elected for one term and shall each be eligible for re-election for not more than 2 terms.

5.6.4 Secretaries shall each be elected for one term and shall each be eligible for re-election for not more than 3 terms consecutively.

5.6.5 The Executive Council Members shall be elected for one term and shall each be eligible for re-election.

5.6.6 The election of officers shall be by closed ballots solicited from the registered members. The person for whom the largest number of votes is cast with respect to each position shall be declared elected.

5.6.7 In the event that the Office of President shall become vacant, the Vice-President shall succeed to the Presidency for the remainder of the unexpired term and will succeed in the following term in accordance with the provisions of above sections. If any other vacancy occurs in the Council, the remaining members of the Council shall appoint a member of the Association with simple majority to fill that office for the duration of the unexpired term.

(a) To have general administrative charge of the affairs of the Association.

(b) To preside over all meetings of the Council.

© To appoint the Organizing Committees of the General Body Meetings of the Association.

(d) To be a member, of all committees.

(e) To appoint or nominate representatives of the Association in consultation with the Council.

(a) To act in place of the President when the President is not present or is unable to discharge his duties as specified as in paragraph in section 5.7.1 of this Section.

(a) To keep membership files.

(b) To attend national meetings

© To manage and do correspondences and notices/circulations of the Association.

© To be incharge of Secretariat of APTTA

(a) To keep the minutes of all meetings.

(b)To keep a dossier of precedents and procedures, and to inform Council Members, Committee Chairmen and Meeting and Program Chairmen of such precedents.

© Will work with in coordination with general secretary

(a) To release news/press releases of APTTA in media with the consent of the President. Herein media mean both print and electronic.

(b) To highlight activities of APTTA in media.

(a) To keep exact records of all the finances of the Association.

(b) To maintain a bank account, and otherwise manage the financial affairs of the Association, on behalf of the Association, subject to approval of the Council.

© To send out bills and collect the subscriptions of the Association.

(d) To pay those bills of the Association whose payment has been approved by a member who has been specifically authorized by the Council. The bank account will be jointly operated by the President and Finance Secretary.

(e) To submit a budget for the approval of the Council.

(a) To have general charge of the affairs of the Association, determining all policies and procedures not otherwise specified in the Constitution and Rules of the Association.

(b) To make an annual budget and authorize a member or members to approve expenditures under each item of the budget.

© To act as Trustees of all funds and properties of the Association or to nominate no fewer than three members of the Association to act as trustees of any funds or property specified by the Council.

(d) To determine the time and location of National Meetings of the Association, and to advise the President concerning the appointment of Organizing Committees for National Meetings.

(e) To assume such other duties as are specified in the Constitution and Rules of the Association.

(f) To terminate membership of individual members if the member seriously damages the interests of the APTTA by majority of the votes.

5.8.1 The General Body is the highest decision-making body of the APTTA; the General Body shall be empowered, subject to the provisions of this constitution, to make decisions on all matters affecting the APTTA

5.8.2 The General Body is composed of all of the APTTA registered members.

5.8.3 The General Body is entitled:

(a) to amend the constitution of the APTTA by 2/3 majority of the registered participants in a vote;

(b) to set up rules and regulations for the different bodies and officers of the APTTA;

© to elect the Council Members/office bearers of the Association;

(d) to take any other decision required to promote the goals of the APTTA, according to its constitution;

(e) to exercise any other right arising from the law or the Constitution;

5.8.4 The General Body shall convene at least once every calendar year (hereinafter: The General Body Meeting) at a location and time set by the Council. The notice shall be sent at least one month before the meeting.

5.8.5 The Council may call for a Special General Body Meeting of the General Body and it shall do so at the request of one-third of the registered members.

5.8.6 Any proposal to be discussed in the General Body submitted by a member and forwarded in writing to the President at least fifteen days before the meeting must be put on the agenda of the meeting. The Council may put on the agenda additional proposals at any time.

5.8.7 The General Body may only take formal decisions. Unless explicitly provided otherwise in the constitution, the General Body shall decide by a majority vote.

5.9.1 The income and property of the Association whensoever derived, shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the objects of the Association and no portion thereof shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend bonus or otherwise howsoever by way of profit to the members or relatives of members of the Association, provided that nothing herein shall prevent the payment in good faith of remuneration to any officer or servant of the Association or to any members of the Association in return for services rendered or goods supplied to the Association or reasonable and proper rental for premises let by any member to the Association.

5.9.2 Unless otherwise required by law, in the event of dissolution of this Association, the assets shall be distributed to such scientific organizations as the Council may determine, such scientific organizations having objects similar to the Association and which shall prohibit the distribution of their income and property among their members.

5.9.3 The annual membership subscription shall be Rs. 1000.00 (non-refundable). Membership fee can be changed as per recommendations of the Council.

5.9.4 Members desiring to withdraw their membership in good standing shall submit resignations to reach the Finance Secretary not later than December 31 of the last year of membership. A former member who resigned in good standing will be reinstated upon request and payment of the subscription for the year in which the request is made. A former member, whose membership was terminated not in good standing, will be reinstated upon request and payment of the subscription of the year in arrears plus the subscription for the year of reinstatement.

Meetings shall be held at such times and places as designated by the Council. Notices of all meetings of the Association shall be mailed to the members/registered members in a reasonable time in advance.

5.11.1 All the election will take place through balloting by only registered members in January each year.

5.11.2 Three months before the expiry of a term, the General Secretary shall send to the registered members for onward nominations to Election Commission, which will be nominated by the Council.

5.11.3 As far as possible, the mailing of election notices and subscription notices shall be co-ordinated with the mailing of information for the General Body Meetings of the Association.

5.12.1 An amendment to these Rules may be proposed either by the Council or by any two Registered Members.

5.12.2 These Rules may be amended or suspended by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the Registered Members present at any duly announced General Body Meeting of the Association.

It will be decided in the General Body meeting and may be rotated by turn in each province

Draft of APTTA Constitution was prepared by Dr. Muhammad Akhyar Farrukh, GC University Lahore