Financial crisis of old and new public sector universities have worsened. Khyber Pukhtunkhwa government is hands off and is not interested at all to bail out these institutions by approaching federal government for the acquisition of funds that are used to be released to public sector universities in the past. In a knee-jerk reaction, a memorandum from Governor Khyber Pukhtunkhwa has been sent to the Vice Chancellors of University of Peshawar, University of Engineering and Technology, Islamia College University and government universities in , Bannu, Kohat, D.I Khan, Sawabi, Chittral and Buner not to make recruitment on faculty and higher pay scale posts.
Notwithstanding tall claims of increasing allocations for the promotion of education, provincial government has totally abandoned funding of higher education, depriving the youth of this basic right as tuition fee and other educational expenses have abnormally gone up. Public sector universities are deficient in teaching staff and are compelled to hire inexperienced visiting faculty as Higher Education Commission of Pakistan has barred the in-service faculty of government universities from doing the job of visiting faculty even in the second shift. Ban on recruitment of regular faculty within the next six months will impact the academic and research activities in government universities to detriment of talented students. People want positive actions and not hollow slogans.
