When varsities forget why they exist

Every morning, Pakistan's universities come alive. Lecture halls fill with students, laboratories open, committees convene, files move from one desk to another, budgets are reviewed and audit observations are addressed. University administrations also manage promotions, recruitment, legal and regulatory matters, government communication, media scrutiny, social media narratives and institutional pressures – all requiring timely attention. These responsibilities are essential. No university can function without sound governance, financial discipline and accountability.

The problem arises when administration begins to overshadow the very purpose it exists to serve.

At the end of each day, every university should ask a simple but profound question: What did we accomplish today that will still matter years from now? Did we improve teaching? Generate knowledge capable of shaping public policy? Help industry solve a problem? Inspire students to think differently? Or did another day disappear into paperwork, meetings and compliance?

Over the years, I have experienced university life from different perspectives - as a faculty member, quality-assurance practitioner, registrar and now as pro-vice chancellor. I have seen both sides of university life. Administration provides the structure that enables academic work, but structure must never be mistaken for purpose.

Across many institutions, academic staff spend increasing amounts of time attending committees, preparing compliance reports, answering regulatory queries and managing administrative matters. Meanwhile, curriculum reform, research development, student mentoring and industry engagement, activities whose impact may last decades, are repeatedly postponed because they are rarely as urgent as the next file awaiting approval.

Administration is the engine of a university, but knowledge is its destination. When the engine becomes the destination, the institution begins to lose its way.

Universities should not be judged solely by procedural efficiency but by whether they create the conditions for excellent teaching, meaningful research, innovation and public service.

I was reminded of this during a discussion about an academic programme whose admissions had been suspended by HEC due to concerns about graduate quality. Several senior faculty members blamed the administration. I asked a simple question: Who is ultimately responsible for the quality of graduates? Management can strengthen systems and provide resources, but academic quality is created in classrooms, laboratories and research groups.

Responsibility for achieving that vision extends beyond university management. VCs can provide leadership, resources and governance, but they cannot teach classes, supervise theses or inspire curiosity. Those responsibilities belong to deans, HoDs and faculty members.

Pakistan's higher education sector has expanded considerably during the past two decades. But why has institutional growth not produced comparable gains in research that influences policy, innovation that reaches industry, or graduates prepared for a rapidly changing economy? Part of the answer lies in misplaced incentives. Universities often reward publications more than their impact. Research is counted for promotion, but its contribution to society is rarely examined with equal seriousness.

The same concern applies to teaching. Curriculum reform should not merely satisfy regulatory requirements; it should prepare students for the knowledge, technologies and professions of the future.

If universities have lost sight of their purpose, the solution is not another committee or another reporting requirement. Every major institutional decision whether concerning recruitment, budgeting, promotion, curriculum or research should be guided by one question: Will this strengthen teaching, expand knowledge, improve student learning or increase the university's contribution to society?

Pakistan needs universities that do more than manage procedures efficiently. It needs institutions that create knowledge, develop capable graduates, uphold academic integrity and contribute solutions to national challenges.

Administration will always remain indispensable. But it must remain a means to academic excellence, not a substitute for it.