Jirga highlights higher education crisis in K-P

PESHAWAR:

An Educational Jirga was organized by the Peshawar University Teachers Association (PUTA) to highlight the pressing challenges facing higher education and universities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The event witnessed large-scale participation from provincial government officials, opposition members, political leaders, education experts, civil society representatives, university faculty, students, intellectuals, and parents.

Representatives from employee associations of various universities across the province were also present. PUTA President, Dr Zakirullah Jan and General Secretary, Dr Farooq welcomed the participants and emphasized the critical need for a financially autonomous and empowered Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Higher Education Commission (KPHEC).

Speakers at the Jirga urged the provincial government to take concrete steps to address and prevent the growing crisis in the higher education sector. They criticized the current coercive policies, claiming that these have led to a 70 per cent student dropout rate and have pushed the enrollment rate down to just 8-9 per cent, largely due to unaffordable fee hikes.

PUTA leaders stressed the urgent need for the government to ensure timely payment of salaries and pensions for university employees.

They also demanded that sufficient funds for universities be allocated in the upcoming provincial budget.

Participants called for student voices to be included in decision-making processes and urged all political parties to speak out on the deteriorating state of higher education in the province.