A university is not just a group of buildings, nor a payroll centre for employees, nor a factory producing degrees. It is a moral and intellectual institution - a place where societies refine their thinking, test ideas and prepare leadership for the future. When universities weaken, nations do not merely lose graduates; they lose direction.

In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, higher education appears trapped in a recurring cycle of deficit, agitation, bailout and renewed crisis. The debate is no longer whether universities face financial stress. The real question is whether we still understand what a university is meant to be.

University of Peshawar is a case in point - once the intellectual hub of the province. Today, headlines revolve around deficits, strikes and administrative disputes.

Reported revenue hovers around Rs3 billion while expenditure exceeds Rs7 billion. This is not a temporary shortfall; it is structural imbalance. Expansion of departments without sustainability studies, creation of posts without fiscal planning and rising pension liabilities reflect managerial decisions taken without long-term vision. Still lessons are not learned, Selection Board for around 200 appointment under the pressure of the Association are being held which will add to the financial burden.

Public bailouts have become the standard response. But bailouts without reform create moral hazard. They postpone collapse; they do not prevent it. Financial discipline, medium-term budgeting and independent audits are essential if the bleeding is to........

© The Express Tribune