Sir

It is essential to introduce pay by results and to abolish civil servant status for university teachers in Germany. Civil servant status — commonly known as a synonym of inefficiency — prevents the firing of academics who can't compete in the ‘publish or perish’ world of science. Academics should face competition, in the same way as every other part of the labour market does.

During my studies in Germany I observed that the lack of an efficient system for the evaluation of university teachers leads to a growing class of academics who know that their performance does not affect their income. (I do not want to attack those who accept the rules of competition and know that their reputation depends on the quality of their publications.)

Lecturers usually neglect their teaching duties, and deliver the same lectures unchanged for years. From my experience I know that students with less renowned supervisors have to work harder to have research published, and often do not get a job in industry because in a tough job market the reputation of the supervisor is essential. Their work is not assessed fairly and they won't get the chance to prove their abilities. Because such incompetent supervisors waste time on inefficient administration, they cannot provide the necessary support to students. They lack the skills to submit applications for funds, so their students have to finish their work on state benefits. But such supervisors can't lose their posts.

I do not support the call to abandon Habilitation, the postdoctoral qualification required to become a member of the teaching staff. Habilitation is necessary for a fair judgement of the individual'sskills as a leader and manager.

For the sake of good research and education in Germany, the introduction of competition at universities is overdue. Payment by results only threatens the incompetent. Students are evaluated every day — so why not their teachers?