Pakistan’s universities hit a record 2.2 million students in the 2020-21 academic year. From that point on, the student enrolment began to decline, and in 2022-23, university enrolment fell by 13 per cent in just one year.

This decline comes at a time when the number of universities has risen from 220 to 269 over the past five years — 169 in the public sector and 110 in the private sector. A similar trend emerges at the degree college level, where enrolment has fallen from its peak of 771,600 students in 2019-20 to under 650,000 in 2023-24.

Notably, the latest Economic Survey of Pakistan (Education) skipped actual enrolment figures for FY24 and FY25; therefore, it is difficult to gauge the true extent of the crisis. However, evidence from the current admission cycle reinforces a grim outlook.

The current admissions cycle for BSc honours and master’s programmes is nearing its end, yet most public universities — with some exceptions — continue to struggle to fill their allocated seats.

Despite repeated admission advertisements, extended deadlines, relaxed admissions criteria, fee waivers for high achievers, and a host of other promotional measures, the outcomes remain disappointing. Many academic programmes have failed to attract even a quarter of their sanctioned intake.

Pakistan’s tertiary (higher) education enrolment rate remains critically low at 11.2pc in 2023, as reported by the World Bank. This lags behind India (33pc), Bangladesh (23pc), and Iran (61pc). This disparity is particularly alarming for a nation that prides itself on its youth bulge, often hailed as its........

© Dawn Business