KARACHI:
The University of Peshawar was once regarded as one of Pakistan’s leading centres of higher learning. Today, however, it is becoming a symbol of institutional decline. As an alumnus, it is painful to witness a university with such a distinguished history struggle with recurring financial crises, declining enrolment and persistent administrative uncertainty. Departments that once attracted students from across the country now face shrinking admissions, while increasing fees make higher education even less accessible.
The crisis extends beyond finances. Delayed salaries have repeatedly forced employees to protest for their basic rights, disrupting academic life and further damaging the university’s reputation. Meanwhile, students bear the greatest cost as uncertainty affects teaching, research and the overall learning environment. Universities are long-term national investments, not institutions that can be allowed to drift from one financial emergency to another. Temporary measures may keep operations running, but they cannot restore academic excellence.
The University of Peshawar requires financial stability, professional governance and a long-term reform plan. Allowing one of Pakistan’s oldest public universities to decline quietly would represent a loss not only for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but for the country’s higher education system.
Manzar Hassan
Peshawar
