University of Peshawar. PHOTO: ARCHIVE
PESHAWAR:
The University of Peshawar, once considered the pride of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, one of the largest and oldest higher education institutions in the province, is now facing one of the worst admission crises in its history. Due to administrative inefficiency and government negligence, admissions in various departments have fallen drastically this year, leaving the university’s finances in dire straits.
This year there has been a notable change: an increasing number of students are choosing to enroll in private universities and public schools instead of the University of Peshawar. The main reason, according to students and parents, is the sharp increase in tuition fees and the indifferent attitude of the university administration towards potential applicants.
In a move that has drawn widespread criticism, the University of Peshawar recently increased its semester fees by an unprecedented margin ranging between Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000 per semester. As a result, total semester tuition has skyrocketed from Rs 42,000 to Rs 62,000, making it increasingly difficult for low- and middle-income families to afford higher education for their children.
Furqan Khan, a student of Peshawar University, expressed his frustration while speaking to The Express PAkGazette. “It is deeply disappointing that the university has increased fees without any justification. This means that education will now become a privilege for the rich, while the children of the poor will be left behind. The administration is raising fees just to maintain its high salaries, and the burden falls entirely on struggling families,” Khan stressed.
Parents also shared similar concerns. Ahmad Jan, who runs a small general store and whose daughter is enrolled in university, told The Express PAkGazette that the financial pressure on families was unbearable. “Every year it is more difficult to keep our children in school. With such increases in tuition, even basic education has become a luxury,” Jan complained.
According to Professor Dr. Zakirullah Jan, president of the Peshawar University Teachers’ Association, both management inefficiency and poor public treatment have worsened the situation. “On the one hand, the administration continually increases fees and on the other, its attitude discourages students from applying. When students and their parents visit the country for information, they receive little or no cooperation from the staff. This behavior leads many to seek admission in private universities, despite the higher costs,” explained Dr. Jan.
Dr Jan further added that every year, the university usually admits around 18,000 students, generating up to Rs 3,000 crore in revenue. However, this year’s drastic enrollment decline had created a serious financial shortfall. “The unhelpful attitude of the administration is pushing the institution towards collapse. If the university delegated admission responsibilities to individual departments instead of centralizing them, we could easily improve the enrollment numbers,” opined Dr Jan.
Official data supports these concerns. Some departments have admitted surprisingly few students this year: the Statistics Department enrolled only seven students, the Development Studies department enrolled two, the Geography department three, the History department four, Home Economics two, and Logistics and Supply Chain Management admitted only two students. As per 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 operating below capacity.
In response to the crisis, the university administration has issued a readmission 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 remain comparatively lower than those charged by other institutions,” a university spokesperson said.
Despite these assurances, discontent among students and parents continues to grow. Many fear that if immediate steps are not taken to make education more accessible, one of Pakistan’s most prestigious public universities could lose its relevance.
