Across Pakistan’s higher education landscape, an underexplored challenge is quietly taking root: the growing disconnect between university administrations and their students.

Universities in Pakistan have made commendable strides in expanding access and infrastructure. Yet, between those who run these institutions and those who fill their classrooms, an invisible gap persists — one of dialogue, and mediation, subtle enough to escape daily notice, but powerful enough to shape policy, campus culture, and the student experience itself.

In recent years, Pakistan’s student population has surged. Enrolment in higher education crossed 2 million in 2022-23, up from 1.58 million in 2017-18, according to the Higher Education Commission (HEC). With this growth has come greater diversity not only in socioeconomic backgrounds, but in expectations, communication styles, and cultural references.

Many university administrations, however, remain rooted in older institutional traditions, shaped by administrative norms that were designed for smaller, more homogeneous cohorts. As the social, digital, and cultural profile of Pakistani youth evolves, so too must the ways universities connect, communicate, and collaborate with their students.

One of the central structural issues is the lack of formal mediation bodies or consistent platforms for dialogue. Without these, students are left to navigate opaque decision-making processes on their own, while administrators handle policy and discipline without structured feedback. This results in a mutual sense of disconnect — students feel unheard, and institutions operate in the dark, unable to anticipate or fully grasp the concerns of the very people they serve.

Unlike in many other countries, Pakistani universities are governed by individual institutional charters. The Higher Education Commission (HEC) sets minimum academic and administrative standards but grants universities considerable autonomy in how they govern themselves.

Under the HEC’s 2002 Ordinance, degree-awarding institutions are........

© Dawn Prism