KHYBER: Delay in grant of affiliation by University of Peshawar (UoP) to Associate Degree (AD) subjects in postgraduate degree college Landi Kotal is hampering further studies of hundreds of students despite clearing their intermediate level examination a month ago.

Faculty members and students at the college told this scribe that nearly 300 students were currently awaiting admission to AD subjects of zoology, Urdu and political science but UoP seemed in a ‘sleeping mode’ to help resolve the issue.

They said that the college administration had long deposited the required fee for grant of affiliation to AD subjects but it was still awaiting a notification of approval from the UoP authorities.

Students aspiring to get a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in computer science also had to wait for one full month as the admission portal for the same courses was not functioning till October 18.

Teachers also demand increase in number of sanctioned posts

They said that the portal was opened and admissions were started only after they boycotted their classes a few days ago in protest against the unjustified delay in opening of the on-line portal for admissions.

They regretted that BS computer science and other AD subjects were already started in other postgraduate degree colleges of the province soon after admissions were completed two weeks after the results for intermediate level were announced.

“This is a critical loss of academic period, which students of Landi Kotal would not be able to recover while competing with students of other districts of the province,” Daud Khan, the president of college students association, said.

He said that UoP was averse to grant their college the AD affiliation owing to financial losses the university was faced with as it feared students from other districts would drift away from it as they were required to pay comparatively less annual fee for AD semesters in comparison to UoP.

Daud Khan also demanded an end to long hours of electricity loadshedding at the college. He sought provision of drinking and overcoming the sanitation and cleanliness issues at the college.

Faculty members of the college also took exception to prolonged delay in increasing the number of sanctioned posts of lecturers and professors for different subjects. They said that there were only 36 staff members, who were posted at the college since its establishment in 1970s while the number of students had increased manifold.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2025