By: Prof. Dr. Umer Farooq

Every government seeks to improve its administrative system by making it more efficient, economical, and responsive to public needs. Globally, governments regularly restructure the departments and institutes to reduce costs, share resources, and improve governance. In Pakistan, similar measures have recently been introduced in the form of merges, abolition of certain offices, right-sizing, and down-sizing. However, were the pros and cons of this initiative taken into any serious consideration?

It is widely acclaimed that establishment of newer universities in an area assure regional development, improved access to higher education, economic growth, and escalated research/academics. However, newer universities should be established after thorough and careful planning. Factors such as regional educational needs, availability of qualified staff, financial stability, presence of other prior universities, and a clear academic vision must be taken into account, rather than mere political thrusts. Looking at the mushroom growth of newly established universities throughout the country, one wonders whether any of these factors was given adequate and justified consideration. Pakistan now has a total of more than 260 universities, mostly established at political whims of politicians who thought that having a university in their constituency was only means of development.

Yet another factor to be considered while establishing newer universities is the number of students to be admitted in universities. This area has presented a bleak picture in last few years for Pakistan. An estimated 30-35% decline in university admissions has been witnessed both in private and public sector universities, especially in under-graduate programs. Various factors such as inflation, high university tuition fee, lack of jobs for graduates, rise in online educational platforms (Udemy, Coursera, EdX, Google Skillshop etc), and higher demand for vocational and technical skills could be attributed to this decline. So, a puzzling question arises here: No students for admissions and a rising number of universities? What role would such huge number of universities play? Would they not merely be hubs of job facilitation for academic and administrative personnel driven by local political pressures?

Only a few years after rapid expansion of universities throughout the country, a new policy discussion has surfaced up, merging the institutions to share resources and reduce costs. Merger of various faculties of different universities especially from Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, and Rahim Yar Khan (South Punjab) is on the table. Maybe the idea of rationalizing the resources through these mergers is sound enough, yet one cannot overlook an inadvertent weakening of educational outreach, reduction in opportunities for local students, and deescalated educational/research growth in resource-poor settings such as South Punjab.

In Southern Punjab, where students already have fewer higher education opportunities compared to larger urban areas, merging universities may create new difficulties for students, concentrate decision-making in fewer hands, and hinder the growth of academic and research activities in the region. Rather than reversing the expansion of higher education, policymakers should focus on strengthening governance, improving quality assurance, and fostering collaboration among universities while preserving their institutional identities and regional missions.

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