Lost merit? University of Peshawar fails to attract students

PESHAWAR:

Once considered the pride of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the University of Peshawar, one of the province’s oldest and largest higher education institutions, is now facing one of the worst admission crises in its history. Due to administrative inefficiency and the government’s neglect, admissions in several departments have dropped sharply this year, leaving the university’s finances in a dire condition.

This year, a noticeable shift has occurred with a growing number of students choosing to enroll into private universities and government colleges rather than in the University of Peshawar. The primary reason, according to students and parents, is the steep hike in tuition fees and the university administration’s indifferent attitude towards prospective applicants.

In a move that has sparked widespread criticism, the University of Peshawar recently increased its semester fees by an unprecedented margin ranging from Rs10,000 to Rs15,000 per semester. As a result, the total semester fee has soared from Rs42,000 to Rs62,000, making it increasingly difficult for middle and lower income families to afford higher education for their children.

Furqan Khan, a student at the University of Peshawar, expressed his frustration while speaking to The Express Tribune. “It is deeply disappointing that the university has increased fees without any justification. This means that education will now become a privilege for the wealthy, while the children of the poor will be left behind. The administration is raising fees just to maintain their high salaries, and the burden falls entirely on struggling families,” emphasized Khan.

Parents too shared similar concerns. Ahmad Jan, who runs a small general store and whose daughter is enrolled at the university, told The Express Tribune that the financial pressure on families was unbearable. “It’s getting harder every year to keep our children in school. With such fee increases, even basic education has become a luxury,” complained Jan.

According to Professor Dr Zakirullah Jan, President of the Peshawar University Teachers’ Association, both the management’s inefficiency and poor public dealing have worsened the situation. “On the one hand, the administration is continuously raising fees, and on the other, their attitude discourages students from applying. When students and parents visit for information, they receive little or no cooperation from the staff. This behaviour drives many to seek admission in private universities, despite the higher costs,” explained Dr Jan.

Dr Jan further added that every year, the university usually admitted around 18,000 students, generating up to Rs3 billion rupees in revenue. However, this year’s drastic decline in enrollment had created a serious financial shortfall. “The administration’s unhelpful attitude is pushing the institution toward collapse. If the university delegated admission responsibilities to individual departments instead of centralizing them, we could easily improve enrollment numbers,” opined Dr Jan.

Official data supports these concerns. Some departments have admitted shockingly few students this year with the Statistics Department enrolling only seven students, the Development Studies department enrolling two, the Geography department three, History department four, Home Economics two, and Logistics and Supply Chain Management admitting only two students. Under the Higher Education Commission (HEC) guidelines, each department must enroll at least 15 students to function properly. The University of Peshawar has 54 departments offering 69 subjects, but many of them are now running below capacity.

In response to the crisis, the university administration has issued a re-admission notice to attract more applicants, while maintaining that its fee structure remains lower than that of other public universities. “We are providing all possible facilities to students and parents. Even after the recent increase, our fees are still comparatively lower than those charged by other institutions,” said a university spokesperson.

Despite such assurances, the discontent among students and parents continues to grow. Many fear that if immediate measures are not taken to make education more accessible, one of Pakistan’s most prestigious public universities could lose its relevance.