Universities: autonomy at risk

The Punjab government's recent attempt to strip public universities of their autonomy is the latest in a long history of efforts to prioritise political interests over the futures of young citizens. Proposed amendments to university acts would replace VCs as syndicate chairpersons with the chief minister or higher education minister, reduce elected faculty representation, and abolish senates.

The move mirrors the regressive legislation passed in Sindh earlier this year, which allowed bureaucrats without PhDs to be appointed as VCs despite massive protests from academics, students and activist groups. Both efforts were thinly veiled attempts to reward party loyalists with high-level education roles, even though some of them may not have been qualified to teach at the primary school level.

Politicising academic institutions undermines the very purpose of higher education. By placing universities under direct political control, the government risks compromising academic integrity, stifling critical thinking and crippling an already struggling education system. Teachers' unions have rightly condemned these measures and warned of province-wide strikes if the proposals are not withdrawn.

The government's justification that these changes will improve administrative efficiency is unconvincing. Universities are not mere administrative entities. They are centres of knowledge creation and intellectual leadership. Replacing academic oversight with bureaucratic or political control will inevitably diminish research output, lower educational standards, and further isolate Pakistani universities from the global academic community.

It is also worth noting that facts have no political loyalty. Independent universities will train new generations of students who demand more of their elected representatives and who may question some of the political propaganda that passes as educational material these days. And this comes at a time when our universities are already facing significant challenges, including declining standards and inadequate funding. Instead of addressing these issues, the government is pursuing measures that will exacerbate them.