- Advertisement -
PESHAWAR, Oct 28 (APP):Once a symbol of intellectual brilliance, cultural and education pride, the University of Peshawar, which is the flagship institution of higher education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is now battling a deepening financial crisis, mostly worsened by the declining enrolments and political interference.
Founded in 1949 at the behest of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and inspired by the legacy of Islamia College Peshawar, the premier university had for decades served as a beacon of academic excellence, producing generations of scientists, judges, poets, policymakers, and educationists. Today, however, it faces a struggle for survival.
In a major setback, the University of Peshawar has decided to close nine departments due to low student enrolment in the current Fall 2025 semester.
The affected Bachelor of Studies (BS) programmes include Development Studies, Geography, Geology, History, Social Anthropology, Statistics, Logistics and Supply Chain Analytics, Human Development and Family Studies, and Home Economics.
Official documents revealed alarmingly low admission numbers as only one applicant in BS Human Development and Family Studies, two each in Development Studies, Logistics and Supply Chain Analytics, and Home Economics, and just 14 in Geology.
A university notification revealed that, under existing regulations, “if the number of students admitted in a programme is less than 15, the admission will be considered cancelled.”
The administration directed relevant students to contact the Office of Admissions to select alternative programmes in order to safeguard their academic future.
Official sources told APP that UoP currently has 69 departments, each traditionally enrolling around 60 students in BS programmes. However, several key departments including Mathematics, Chemistry, Social Work, Urdu, Pashto, Journalism, Disaster Management, and Urban Planning have also recorded below-capacity admissions.
Departments still drawing adequate enrolment include Pharmacy, English, Psychology, Computer Science, Law, Environmental Sciences, Physics, International Relations, Political Science, Peace and Conflict Studies, Criminology, and Management Sciences.
The university spokesperson cited multiple reasons for the inadequate enrollment, including poor career counselling and changing student interests.
“Students now prefer disciplines such as Allied Health Sciences and Computer Science because they offer better job prospects locally and abroad,” he said. “Subjects like languages and classical social sciences have lost appeal due to limited market scope.”
Dr. Ejaz Khan, former Chairman, International Relations Department said financial insecurity among educators has created a demoralized academic environment that is ill-equipped to inspire or support students.
He attributed the declining enrolment to the unplanned introduction of the BS programme simultaneously in universities and colleges of KP.
“Both universities and colleges now offer identical courses, but with huge fee disparities,” he said. “At UoP, students pay around Rs150,000 per year, while the same programme at a public college costs just Rs14,000 annually.”
Official data from the Higher Education Department confirms this trend revealing that total enrolment in universities and affiliated colleges dropped from 160,000 in 2022 to 155,000 in 2025.
Dr. Ejaz added that the mushrooming number of higher education institutions in KP, which is 34 public and 10 private universities, and nearly 1,000 colleges, has fragmented the student base.
He warned that many departments have lost relevance and employability because they failed to update curricula according to modern market needs.
Dr. Zilakat Malik, former chairman at the University of Peshawar, described the financial picture as bleak, citing chronic delays in paying pensions to retired faculty and irregular salaries for current staff.
“Many retired professors, who once declined international careers to serve Pakistan, are now struggling in old age, repeatedly appealing for their rightful pensions,” he said.
The financial strain, he added, has disrupted academic schedules, degraded teaching quality, and curtailed research productivity.
Perhaps most troubling, Dr. Zilakat Malik said, is the erosion of institutional autonomy and politicization. “The university, once governed by academic boards under the provincial governor, now operates under the Chief Minister and cabinet which is a shift seen as a blow to academic freedom and integrity.”
Political figures have echoed these concerns, urging CM KP Sohail Afridi to immediately step in to save higher education from further downfall.
Shahibzada Hamza Khan, PML-N Nowshera President, claimed that unchecked political interference at universities affairs has sidelined merit, bypassed expert consultation, and made university governance opaque and arbitrary.
He accused the PTI-led provincial government of failing to deliver in higher education, research and public services during its long rule, claiming despite being in power for over a decade, PTI has left higher education in disarray.
The University of Peshawar’s plight mirrors a wider financial crunch across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s public universities, many of which face potential closure or administrative paralysis due to similar financial shortfalls and political overreach.
“This negative trend is catastrophic for a province already struggling with poverty, unemployment, and educational backwardness,” Hamza said.
“Silence is no longer an option. Education is not just a sector but it is the foundation of a nation’s future. Allowing its decay is a national tragedy.”
Despite the grim outlook, cautious optimism has emerged with the appointment of Professor Dr. Johar Ali as Vice Chancellor of the University of Peshawar who is working tirelessly to address the university issues.
A seasoned academic with extensive administrative experience, Dr. Ali is seen as capable of restoring financial discipline and academic stability but only if granted full autonomy and institutional support by the KP government.
Saving the University of Peshawar, observers said is not merely a matter of institutional preservation but a moral, educational, and national imperative.
The stakes are nothing less than the intellectual and societal future of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as experts urged CM KP to ensure check and balance system to save higher education at universties from further decay.