PESHAWAR– Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) universities are hurtling toward a full-blown crisis as financial collapse, bureaucratic overreach, and widespread faculty unrest threaten to paralyse higher education across the province. From the iconic University of Peshawar to smaller regional campuses, public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are struggling to survive under mounting pressure from both policy confusion and chronic underfunding.
Teachers across KP universities are preparing for province-wide class boycotts, triggered by a controversial directive from the Higher Education Department. The order mandates that university professors must now clear an ETEA test—originally designed for entry-level recruitment—to qualify for promotions. Faculty members argue this move not only disrespects their professional credentials but also undermines the autonomy and academic integrity of the institutions.
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“No senior academic in the history of our universities has ever taken such a test to get promoted,” said a senior professor at University of Peshawar. “It’s absurd to force PhDs to prove their worth through a test designed by non-specialists. Ironically, many of us are the ones who design these very tests.”
The uproar comes in the aftermath of a major governance shift in February, when the role of university chancellor transferred from the governor to the chief minister. Since then, KP universities have faced a surge in bureaucratic interference—ranging from additional No Objection Certificate (NOC) requirements to stalled promotions and withheld funds. Despite sending over a dozen letters to the government, faculty representatives say they’ve received no meaningful response.
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“If there’s an education emergency, as the government claims, then it’s one of their own making,” said a spokesperson for the teachers’ association. “We don’t want to shut down classes, but we’re being pushed into a corner.”
Meanwhile, the financial health of KP universities is worsening by the day. The University of Peshawar paid off salary arrears for March only by scraping together its remaining reserves. April’s expected expenditure—nearly 400mn rupees [1.42mn US dollars]—hangs in the balance, as the university awaits a quarterly federal grant. While previous instalments have ranged between 300mn to 400mn rupees [1.07mn to 1.42mn US dollars], the timeline and amount of the next release remain unclear.
Adding to the disillusionment is the government’s silence over a previously announced 500mn-rupee grant for the university. According to university officials, higher authorities have unofficially warned them to stop mentioning the pledge. “There is no money. That’s the reality,” a source revealed.
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The result: over 80 PhD-holding female faculty members have seen their careers stall. No meaningful promotions have been granted since 2018, aside from a few personal-grade exceptions. As university salaries continue to be disbursed without allowances or ad-hoc relief, teachers say they are being squeezed out of the profession—pushed aside in a system that once promised dignity and progress.
Once a beacon for upward mobility, KP universities now risk becoming relics—accessible only to elites, while working- and middle-class students are priced out of education. And as the faculty prepares to go silent, it is not just the teachers who lose—it is the future of an entire province.
