Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), Pakistan’s premier institution for higher education, is facing a severe financial crisis that threatens its normal functions, operations, and paints a bleak picture of its future. Dr. Mazhar Iqbal, President of the Academic Staff Association, highlighted the urgent need for intervention during a recent discussion on the university’s financial position.
Founded in 1967 as Islamabad University, later named Quaid-i-Azam University after the founder of the nation on his centennial birthday, 1976. QAU stands as the only federal university with a charter to cater the students from all the federating units including GB, AJK, and Urban and Rural areas of all the four provinces. Initially, QAU was envisioned as a research university with MPhil and PhD programs till early 80s, when MSc programs were offered, and finally Bachelor of Science were introduced in 2012. Today, QAU has approximately 12000 students enrolled representing all the federating units of country, across its four faculties and nine research institutes and centers.
The university has earned a stellar reputation, in teaching and research, and has been consistently ranked as number one University of the country according to HEC and has achieved notable place at global stage as well as it stood at 315th position in 2024, according to QS World University Rankings. Back in 2017, the Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Engr. Muhammad Baligh ur Rehman declared QAU as the Flagship Institution of the country, congratulating the faculty, staff, students and alumni for securing place in top 500 universities of the world. The university has improved its global ranking significantly since.
Despite the important role and achievements of the University, the QAU has long been grappling with severe financial challenges. Government funding through the HEC has proved insufficient, has become stagnant, whereas the costs have soared due to staggering inflation over past several years. As a result, the University faces a budget deficit of approximately PKR 800 million (over 20%). Since January 2023, payments for teaching, Lab chemicals & consumables, student’s fellowships, medical bills, and even office-stationery items, are being kept pending and thus grinding the University to a standstill.
Dr. Mazhar urgently appeals to the Chairman HEC, the Minister of Federal Education and Professional Training, the Prime Minister Mian Mohammad Shahbaz Sharif, and President Asif Ali Zardari also Chancellor of the University, to provide a special grant and bailout package to avert the impending financial collapse, and to increase the higher education budget in general in order to meet the demand of bulging national youth. Despite showing significant performance and having won the status of Flagship Institution of the Country with a rather meager budget compared with other universities, the QAU receives disproportionally low financial support from the government. Dr. Mazher further added that QAU’s performance over the time clearly justifies a bailout package of Rs. 5 billion in line with the manifesto of Pakistan Muslim League Noon (PML-N) regarding higher education funding on the basis of the performance.
With adequate support, QAU can continue its trajectory towards becoming one of the top 100 universities globally, contributing significantly to Pakistan’s educational and research landscape.
