Reckless management of the HEC, focusing on opening universities everywhere with total disregard for quality, necessity and sustainability, has finally come to a head, with many such institutions financially underwater and the federal government now telling them to formulate their own strategies to stay afloat.
The Senate's recent message to the University of Chitral summarises the problem. The university is located in one of the world's most remote areas and is unlikely to ever become self-sustaining based on the regional population, nor does it have the reputation or funding to draw top academic talent.
The only justification for the university's existence is that it makes it easier for Chitralis to attend university. But for the cost of building and operating the university and subsidising tuition and other costs, the K-P government could easily have increased seats for Chitrali students at the University of Peshawar or some other existing campus, including setting up student housing. The money set aside for salaries in Chitral could be used to increase salaries at established varsities and to hire better staff.
If the HEC had similarly focused on quality instead of quantity, top universities would have benefited from more diverse and better-qualified students, along with enough cash to avoid financial crises, which are even affecting Quaid-e-Azam University, one of the country's few world-class institutions.
The government would be well advised to stop opening any new public universities, or even sub-campuses, until it can ensure that existing universities can be turned into sustainable centres of excellence rather than taxpayer-funded degree mills. As for students, universities are supposed to provide an opportunity to gain real-world exposure and expand one's horizons. Living away from home offers a step in that direction.
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