PESHAWAR (Kashifuddin Syed) The public sector universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) are grappling with an intensifying financial crisis that threatens to halt the payment of salaries and pensions. Forced to bridge massive budget deficits, many administrations have resorted to significant fee hikes, shifting the burden onto students and parents.
An analysis of the current fiscal year 2025-26 budget figures reveals a stark disparity in government support, with KP’s higher education institutions receiving far less funding compared to those in Balochistan, Punjab, and Sindh.
The provincial government has allocated a mere Rs 10 billion in grants for the 34 public universities across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This stands in sharp contrast to Sindh, which has allocated the highest budget of Rs 42.29 billion for its 31 universities under the Sindh Higher Education Commission.
Similarly, the Punjab government has provided Rs 25 billion for its 34 universities, more than double the amount provided to KP for the same number of institutions. Even in Balochistan, the government has allocated Rs 8 billion for only 7 universities, ensuring significantly higher resources per institution than what is available in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Education experts warn that the combination of a high number of universities, rising inflation, and increasing administrative costs has pushed the province’s higher education system to the brink of collapse.
They emphasise that without a substantial and immediate increase in provincial grants, educational activities will be severely compromised. Experts are now urging the government to take effective steps to provide financial stability to these institutions, highlighting that the current level of support is insufficient to meet even the most basic educational and administrative expenses of the province’s youth.
