In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), authorities are contemplating the closure of 14 universities due to poor performance and financial difficulties. The Task Force Committee for Higher Education has expressed significant concerns about the functioning of these institutions, according to sources.

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The task force’s recommendations are set to be finalized and approved by the cabinet. Earlier this year, a report identified the University of Peshawar as the least productive public sector university in the province for 2022-23, as per the Higher Education Commission (HEC). Once known for its education and research, the university scored a mere 10 percent on the HEC’s performance scorecard.

Other universities such as Gomal University, Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), and Sarhad University of Science and Information Technology (SUIT) also fared poorly, with scores below 30 percent.

Conversely, Khyber Medical University (KMU) achieved the highest ranking with over 70 percent, followed by the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Peshawar, with over 60 percent. Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, scored 53 percent, the University of Hazara over 52 percent, and Islamia College University, Peshawar, 48 percent. Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women’s University Peshawar, Abbottabad University of Science and Technology (AUST), and the University of Malakand scored 40 percent, 20 percent, and 30 percent, respectively.

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