University of Peshawar. PHOTO: FILE
PESHAWAR:
Once considered the pride of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the University of Peshawar, one of the oldest and largest 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 several departments fell sharply this year, leaving the university’s finances in a dire state.
This year, a notable change has occurred with an increasing number of students choosing to enroll in private universities and public colleges rather than the University of Peshawar. The main reason, according to students and parents, is the sharp rise in tuition fees and the indifferent attitude of the university administration towards potential applicants.
In a move that drew widespread criticism, the University of Peshawar recently increased its semester fees by an unprecedented margin ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per semester. As a result, the total semester fees increased from Rs42,000 to Rs62,000, making it increasingly difficult for middle and low-income families to enable their children to pursue higher education.
Furqan Khan, a student at Peshawar University, expressed his frustration while speaking to The Express PK Press Club. “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 increasing fees just to keep their salaries high, and the burden falls entirely on the struggling families,” Khan pointed out.
Parents also shared similar concerns. Ahmad Jan, who runs a small general store and whose daughter is enrolled in university, told The Express PK Press Club that the financial pressure on families was unbearable. “It is more and more difficult every year to keep our children in school. With such increases in school fees, even basic education has become a luxury,” Jan lamented.
According to Prof Dr Zakirullah Jan, president of Peshawar University Teachers’ Association, ineffective management and poor public operations have made the situation worse. “On one hand, the administration continually increases tuition fees, and on the other, its attitude discourages students from applying. When students and parents visit them for information, they receive little or no cooperation from the staff. This behavior pushes many people to seek admission to 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 billion in revenue. However, the drastic drop in enrollment this year has created a serious financial deficit. “The ineffective 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 enrollment numbers,” said Dr. Jan.
Official data supports these concerns. Some departments admitted a shocking number of students this year: the statistics department enrolled only seven, the development studies department enrolled two, the geography department three, the history department four, home economics two, and logistics and supply chain management admitting only two students. As per the Higher Education Commission (HEC) guidelines, each department must accommodate 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 claiming that its fee structure remains lower than 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.
