IF a plan — apparently conjured up by foreign lenders — to defund public varsities goes ahead, tens of thousands of students from the middle and working classes may never fulfil their dreams of getting a university education. As reported in this paper on Tuesday, a ‘transformation plan’, based on recommendations of an international lending agency, is in the works to convert public universities into “self-sustainable corporate entities”. There is nothing wrong with the idea itself; public varsities in the country have been battling years-long financial crises, and were it not for the injection of HEC funds, many of these institutions would struggle to function. But what is troubling is the prospect of these institutions — which are the only options for students from lower-income brackets, who cannot afford high-fee private universities — being transformed into money-making concerns. The proposed plan does call for positive changes, such as improving the quality of education at government varsities, as well as reducing administrative staff. In some universities, office staff outnumber students. Yet the most worrying aspect of the scheme is the call to completely do away with federal and provincial funding, and raise student fees. This would, in effect, sound the death knell for seekers of higher education from financially humble backgrounds.

This plan seemingly suggests that only those with money should have access to higher education. Surely this cannot be acceptable if we are seeking to create an egalitarian, educated society. There is merit in calling for improvements in the quality of education at public universities. Over the past two decades, there has been a mushroom growth of universities, with no appreciable improvement in academic standards. Moreover, public varsities should not serve as employment exchanges to be stuffed with excess staff. And universities should try to explore other revenue streams, such as utilising land on campus, making smart investments, and tapping networks of successful alumni to raise funds. But cutting off all government funding in one fell swoop is unacceptable and should be resisted by the state. In these times of financial difficulties, where most Pakistani families are struggling to pay their bills, any substantial fee increase may result in countless bright young men and women abandoning their hopes of pursuing higher education. Financial reform in the higher education sector is much needed, but public universities cannot become for-profit enterprises.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2024