PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has approved a two-day weekly closure for all public and private universities and colleges across the province as part of measures to reduce the impact of rising petroleum prices.
The decision was taken during a provincial cabinet meeting, following which the Higher Education Department issued an official notification detailing the revised schedule. Under the new policy, all public and private universities and colleges will remain closed on Fridays and Saturdays, while academic activities on the remaining working days will continue through a combination of physical and online classes.
The department has instructed higher education institutions to ensure that online teaching arrangements are in place so students’ academic progress is not disrupted. According to the notification, the revised schedule will remain in force for two months, after which the government is expected to review the policy based on the prevailing fuel price situation.
It merits mentioning here that KP currently has more than 40 public and private universities across the province. In recent years, many public sector universities have been facing severe financial challenges due to rising operational costs, delays in the release of government funds, increasing pension liabilities, and limited own-source revenue.
Several institutions have repeatedly warned that the financial strain has affected their ability to meet salary, pension and development expenditures, prompting calls for government support.
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