KARACHI:
The Higher Education Commission’s recent evaluation of 95 universities across Pakistan has exposed a worrying reality about higher education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The absence of even a single university from the province in the highest ‘W’ category alongside the placement of seven universities in the lowest ‘Y’ category reflects a deeper crisis of research and academic quality.
As a research scholar and educationist, I find this trend particularly alarming because universities represent the intellectual backbone of a society. They are expected to generate research, shape public policy, encourage innovation and contribute to national development. Weak research performance therefore reflects weakening academic capacity at a provincial level.
Several structural factors contribute to this problem. Research funding remains limited, faculty members often carry excessive teaching and administrative burdens and opportunities for collaborative scholarship remain underdeveloped. In many institutions, the pressure to expand enrolment and infrastructure has overshadowed investment in research culture and academic excellence.
Improving rankings alone should not be the goal. The real challenge is rebuilding a culture of scholarship, mentorship and intellectual seriousness within universities. Without that shift, higher education in KP risks producing degrees without meaningful academic contribution.
Manzar Hassan
Peshawar
