SEVERE academic and administrative decay has been prevailing at the Public Health School Nishtarabad in Peshawar. Once a reputable institution, it is now a shadow of its former self due to sustained negligence. The academic environment has reached a point of crisis.

While faculty members are officially present, quite a few of the scheduled lectures are never conducted. Attendance registers are being filled, but the actual transfer of knowledge is non-existent.

The impact of this negligence is clearly reflected in the school’s lady health visitor (LHV) annual results that have underlined the grave situation. Compared to private institutions teaching the same diploma course, the performance of this government institution, to be honest, has been pathetic, embarrassingly pathetic.

The principal of the school reportedly attends office daily, but not for more than a couple of hours, arriving late and leaving shortly thereafter. This lack of supervision has fostered an environment of indiscipline. Furthermore, there are serious concerns regarding financial transparency because fines collected from students for absenteeism are allegedly not being deposited into the treasury.

The relevant authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) should order an immediate inquiry. If the authorities fail to restore accountability, the future of frontline healthcare workers and the credibility of public health education would be permanently compromised.

Muhammad Shuaib
Peshawar

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2026