THE recent evaluation done by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of 95 universities across Pakistan has exposed a worrying reality about higher education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The absence of even a single university from the province in the highest ‘W’ category, alongside the placement of seven uni-versities in the lowest ‘Y’ category, reflects a deeper crisis of research and academic quality.

As an educationist, I find the emerging trend particularly alarming because universities represent the intellectual backbone of any society. Their purpose extends far beyond producing graduates; they are expected to generate research, shape public policy, encourage innovation and contribute to national development. Weak research performance, therefore, signals more than institutional decline; it reflects weakening academic capacity at the provincial level.

Several structural factors contribute to this problem. Research funding remains limited, faculty members often carry excessive teaching and administrative burdens, and opportunities for collabo-rative scholarship remain underdeveloped. In many institutions, the pressure to expand enrolment and infrastructure has overshadowed investment in research culture and academic excellence.

The consequences are, indeed, long-term. Universities that fail to produce quality research gradually lose their ability to compete nationally and internationally. More importantly, students are deprived of exposure to rigorous academic inquiry and critical thinking. Improving rankings alone should not be the goal. The real challenge is rebuilding a culture of scholarship, mentorship and intellectual seriousness in universities. Higher educa- tion in KP risks producing graduates without meaningful academic exposure.

Manzar Hassan
Peshawar

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2026