Nearly 50% Public Colleges Operating Without Principals in Punjab

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Nearly 48% of public sector colleges in Punjab, both for males and females, are currently functioning without principals, with 401 out of 825 positions vacant across 36 districts. Despite this significant shortfall, the Higher Education Department (HED) continues to push college heads, divisional directorates, and deputy directorate offices to boost enrollment by 20% to reach the 800,000-student target. However, there is no plan in place to fill the vacant principal positions.

Recent HED data reveals that of the 825 public sector colleges in Punjab, 377 are for boys and 448 for girls, collectively serving around 715,472 students (321,191 girls and 291,281 boys). In contrast, 2,175 private colleges (892 for males and 967 for females) serve 608,373 students, despite their greater numbers compared to public institutions. Additionally, 26% of sanctioned posts for lecturers (grade 17), assistant professors (grade 18), associate professors (grade 19), and professors (grade 20) remain vacant in Punjab’s public sector colleges.

The data indicates that out of a total of 25,651 sanctioned posts, 6,876 are currently vacant. Specifically, there are 222, 819, 2,115, and 3,725 vacant posts in grades 20, 19, 18, and 17, respectively, across the province’s 825 public sector colleges.

“Imagine the strength of public sector colleges if these posts were filled, compared to private sector institutions,” said PPLA Punjab General Secretary Mahboob Arif in a statement to Dawn. He highlighted the severe leadership crisis and urged Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to fill all vacant posts through promotions and new lecturer inductions via the PPSC.

Mr. Arif pointed out that this disparity emphasizes the resilience of public sector institutions, even under challenging conditions. Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association provincial leader Faiza Raana stated that filling the 401 vacant principal positions on merit would significantly boost enrollment in public sector colleges across Punjab.

Ms. Raana also criticized the HED’s failure to effectively manage other key educational leadership roles. For example, seven secondary board chairperson positions are currently held by divisional commissioners, except in Multan and Rawalpindi, due to a lack of appointments. Furthermore, the HED has yet to appoint vice-chancellors for 27 public sector universities in Punjab, and 40% of the directorate offices at nine divisional headquarters have vacant posts for permanent college directors.

Ms. Raana emphasized that the HED is operating without a dedicated minister, worsening the challenges in the education sector. She called on the Chief Minister to appoint a permanent HED minister for the 25,000-strong college teaching community, noting that many issues cannot be resolved without one. She also urged meaningful dialogue between HED leadership and the PPLA, instead of relying on bureaucratic pressure to meet routine targets.

The number of vacant principal positions across various districts includes: Attock (9), Bahawalnagar (10), Bahawalpur (13), Bhakkar (12), Chakwal (8), Chiniot (3), Faisalabad (21), Gujranwala (23), Gujrat (14), Lahore (16), Layyah (13), Multan (17), Rahim Yar Khan (15), Rawalpindi (19), Sahiwal (6), Sargodha (17), Sialkot (22), Vehari (13), D G Khan (12), Jhang (10), Khanewal (11), Mandi Bahuddin (11), and Mianwali (8).