International Teachers’ Day passes unnoticed in KP amid deepening higher education crisis
PESHAWAR (APP): International Teachers’ Day passed largely unnoticed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday amid uncalled for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march as teachers and educationists continued to grapple with the province’s deepening education crisis.
In a small guest room in his native Mohib Banda village of Nowshera, retired academician Riazul Haq appeared unaware that the world was observing International Teachers’ Day.
Surrounded by scattered books, pencils, sharpners and notebooks, he was busy like a honeybees preparing study notes for his tuition students ahead of their mid-term examinations scheduled in second week of this month.
“Following my retirement on medical grounds, I started teaching students privately to support my family financially amid skyrocketing prices of daily-use commodities in KP,” he told APP.
His modest routine offered a telling picture of the changing circumstances of many educators, for whom teaching is no longer simply a profession but also a means of sustaining families after retirement.
Observed annually on October 5, world teachers’ day this year carried the theme, “Standing with teachers: 60 years of protecting the profession, advancing its status and shaping our future.”
However in KP, where teachers and universities face mounting financial and institutional pressures, the important day passed without the public attention its significance deserved.
Riazul Haq said education remained one of the most valuable cultural and scientific assets of any society, preparing young people to confront future challenges while contributing to economic, technological and social transformation.
Public-sector colleges, universities and higher education institutions play a critical role in this process by facilitating knowledge exchange, research and innovation.
However, he said, the deteriorating financial health of several universities and post graduates colleges was undermining these very objectives.
“I am extremely thankful to all my teachers, especially Riaz Sir, who guided me and equipped me with the necessary skills and expertise to become a lecturer,” said Professor Ehtisham Qaiser, a lecturer of Urdu literature, while talking to APP.
He said Riazul Haq, who retired as a principal, had not only taught academic subjects but also helped his students develop discipline, consistency and commitment to their studies.
Despite the acknowledged importance of higher education for socioeconomic development, several public-sector universities in KP are facing financial difficulties that are affecting academic activities, research, infrastructure development and enrolment in MS, MPhil and PhD programmes.
According to the KP Universities 2021-24 Report, the province has 34 public-sector universities, including 24 general and 10 specialised universities covering fields such as engineering, technology, agriculture, medical sciences, animal husbandry and management sciences.
The report indicated that the opening balances of these universities declined from Rs6.560 billion in 2021-22 to Rs5.316 billion in 2022-23 and further to Rs4.740 billion in 2023-24, reflecting growing financial pressures.
Seven universities, including UET Peshawar, Gomal University DI Khan, Agriculture University Peshawar, University of Science and Technology Bannu, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University Peshawar and University of Shangla, were particularly affected by financial constraints, including pension liabilities and shrinking budgetary space.
The report also highlighted a worrying expenditure pattern, with a substantial proportion of university budgets being consumed by current and establishment expenses, leaving limited room for capital investment, research and academic development.
Provincial grants of universities, which stood at Rs3.962 billion in 2022-23, declined to Rs3.276 billion in 2023-24, while only Rs1.232 billion had been recorded in 2021-22.
At the same time, federal grants showed comparatively stronger growth, increasing from Rs10.133 billion in 2021-22 to Rs10.909 billion in 2022-23 and Rs10.954 billion in 2023-24.
The uneven flow of provincial funding has further complicated the financial position of public sector universities, affecting their capacity to maintain infrastructure, sustain academic programmes, support research and preserve quality standards besides pay salaries and pensions.
Several institutions received no provincial grant in particular years, including the University of Agriculture Peshawar, University of Buner and UET Peshawar, while other universities, including the University of Engineering and Applied Sciences Swat, University of Chitral, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology Haripur and Gomal University, also faced gaps in provincial funding.
Professor Dr Zilakat Malik, former Chairman of the Economics Department at the University of Peshawar, described the situation as a serious warning for policymakers and KP Govt.
“The poor health of the majority of universities was exposed by the report prepared by the Governor Secretariat and it needs the immediate attention of all stakeholders,” he told APP.
He said 20 out of 34 universities were likely to face budget deficits, while 27 universities were spending more than 50 percent of their budgets on establishment-related expenditures.
“This requires a realignment of education priorities on a war footing basis,” he said.
Dr Malik criticised the expansion of universities without adequate financial planning, saying the establishment of institutions in far-flung areas of KP without ensuring sustainable resources had adversely affected research and postgraduate programmes.
He pointed to declining enrolment in MS and MPhil programmes at institutions including the University of Shangla, University of Agriculture Swat, FATA University and University of Buner as an indication of the challenges facing the higher education sector.
Similarly, undergraduate enrolment at Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University declined from 4,643 students in 2021-22 to 4,473 in 2022-23 and 4,347 in 2023-24, while the University of Peshawar registered 8,161, 7,011 and 7,675 students during the respective years.
Dr Zilakat Malik said shutting financially troubled universities would not solve the underlying problems.
“Instead, the KP government needs to redirect financial resources towards strengthening existing institutions, improving governance and ensuring financial discipline,” he said.
He stressed that research was the core responsibility of universities, but inadequate allocations were hampering research activities, particularly at newly established institutions.
During 2023-24, the combined expenditure of the province’s 34 universities reportedly reached around Rs41 billion, whereas only about Rs1 billion was earmarked for research initiatives.
“That is like a pinch of salt in a sack of flour,” he remarked, highlighting the disproportion between overall university expenditure and research funding in KP.
He also questioned the continued expenditure on visiting faculty, thesis supervision, contingent staff and miscellaneous arrangements in KP.
He estimated that universities were spending around Rs3.2 billion annually on such areas, arguing that a portion of these resources could instead be redirected towards research through better utilisation of existing faculty, improved human-resource management and stronger financial controls.
He further drew attention to underutilised university assets, citing 224 shops of Islamia College Peshawar in Khyber Bazaar, a market in Charsadda, thousands of kanals of university land in Charsadda and Swabi, the Baragali property and PUTA Hall of the University of Peshawar, besides unresolved asset-related matters involving Gomal university, Agriculture university Peshawar, Abdul Wali Khan university Mardan, Hazara and Bannu Universities.
The senior academician called for better utilisation of these assets, improved governance and greater transparency in the appointment of vice chancellors.
For educators like Riazul Haq, international teachers’ day was therefore less about ceremonies and more about the daily struggle to keep education alive.
While political rallies, demonstrations and the uncalled for PTI long march continued in KP, the province’s teachers and universities faced questions that could shape the future of an entire generation.
Although political mobilisation could command streets and headlines for a day, but the deterioration of universities, declining postgraduate enrolment, shrinking research allocations and growing financial liabilities could leave consequences lasting for decades in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
International teachers’ day, therefore, offered KP an opportunity not merely to celebrate teachers with words, but to confront the financial and institutional problems threatening the very system in which those teachers serve.
