{"id":53384,"date":"2025-10-15T07:07:21","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T07:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/?p=53384"},"modified":"2025-10-15T07:07:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T07:07:21","slug":"fading-classrooms-pakistans-higher-education-in-peril-by-dr-muslim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/fading-classrooms-pakistans-higher-education-in-peril-by-dr-muslim\/","title":{"rendered":"Fading Classrooms: Pakistan\u2019s Higher Education in Peril – by Dr. Muslim"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Dr. Muslim is an accomplished Associate Professor at IQRA National University, bringing a wealth of experience in academia and public health.\u00a0Email; dr.muslim@inu.edu.pk<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Last month, over a steaming cup of chai in Swat, my friend\u2019s cousin\u2014a bright 18-year-old fresh from intermediate college\u2014shared a decision that stunned me. \u201cI\u2019m skipping university,\u201d he said, eyes glued to his laptop, hunting freelance coding gigs. \u201cWhy pile on debt for a degree that won\u2019t even get me a job?\u201d His words weren\u2019t just personal; they echoed a national crisis.<\/p>\n

Pakistan\u2019s university admissions have plummeted by 13-20% in 2025, leaving lecture halls half-empty across the country. Enrollment has slid from 2.23 million in FY2022 to 1.94 million last year, a stark indicator of a higher education system buckling under strain. With Pakistan at a crossroads\u2014economic recovery faltering and youth comprising 64% of its population\u2014this decline isn\u2019t just a statistic; it\u2019s a threat to the nation\u2019s future, demanding a deep dive into its causes, impacts, and solutions.<\/p>\n

The roots of this crisis are tangled but clear. Affordability is a primary culprit. Public universities, once sanctuaries for the middle class, now charge fees that devour family budgets amid inflation exceeding 20%. The Higher Education Commission (HEC) budget, frozen at Rs.65 billion since 2017 despite a devalued rupee and post-COVID economic scars, has forced universities to hike fees and slash scholarships.<\/p>\n

At Bahauddin Zakariya University, 6,000 of 10,000 seats sat vacant this year, a 60% shortfall driven by costs outpacing incomes. For a family earning Rs.50,000 monthly, a Rs.100,000 annual fee is a non-starter, pushing students like my cousin toward informal learning or no learning at all.<\/p>\n

Beyond cost, the perceived value of a degree has crumbled. Outdated curricula, heavy on rote theory and light on practical skills like coding or critical thinking, leave graduates ill-equipped for a job market where 31% of educated youth remain unemployed. Employers lament this skills gap, driving students to platforms like DigiSkills.pk, which has trained 4.5 million in market-relevant skills since 2018.<\/p>\n

First Female Rector of Islamic University Removed from the Post – SCP Declares Appointment as Illegal – Questions HEC on How She was Allowed to Continue?<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n