Future of 80 GIK students at risk

PESHAWAR: The future of around 80 students from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) enrolled at the prestigious Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology (GIK Institute) hangs in balance due to a six-year-long delay in the provincial government’s disbursement of scholarship funds.

Credible sources within the institute confirm that the total outstanding amount under the KP Chief Minister’s Scholarship Programme has ballooned to nearly Rs356 million, covering the period from 2019 to 2025. These scholarships were meant to support talented students from across KP, many of whom hail from underprivileged families and cannot afford GIK’s full tuition without government assistance.

The GIK Institute, a renowned private not-for-profit university, does not receive any financial aid from federal or provincial governments. It relies heavily on student tuition and timely scholarship reimbursements to sustain its operations. The continuing delay has placed immense strain not only on the students but also on the institution’s ability to plan and manage its finances.

“Unless the pending scholarships are released, the institute may be forced to admit KP students only on a self-finance basis,” a senior GIK official stated. “This would effectively shut the doors of one of Pakistan’s top engineering universities on brilliant but financially struggling students from KP.”

The scholarship programme had functioned smoothly during the tenure of then-chief minister Pervez Khattak (2013–2018). The latest MOU was signed in May 2017, which is still valid. However, sources say that with the change in leadership under CM Mahmood Khan, the disbursements halted, despite repeated requests. Ironically, even the then finance minister Taimur Jhagra, himself a GIK alumnus, was unable to reverse the freeze — allegedly due to the CM’s direct control over all scholarship-related releases. Current strength of awardees is 78 with an amount of Rs66 million. Each year, 20 new scholarships are awarded, and the strength remains around 78 to 80 students every year.

Now, students, families, and GIK authorities are pinning their hopes on the Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, urging him to resolve the crisis and rescue these students from academic uncertainty.

“We’ve been living with anxiety for months,” said one final-year student, requesting anonymity. Despite severe financial constraints, GIK has been absorbing part of the unpaid costs to prevent students from dropping out. But university officials warn that this temporary measure is unsustainable.

Parents of affected students have now stepped in, appealing directly to the KP government to prioritise education and unlock the funds. “This is not just about our children — it’s about the credibility of public scholarship programmes and the principle of equal access to higher education,” said one father, a school teacher from Bannu.

As pressure builds and time runs out, observers warn that failure to act swiftly will not only derail promising careers but could also damage the reputation of KP’s commitment to supporting education.

The ball is now in the provincial government’s court—whether it chooses to invest in the future of its youth or let them slip through the cracks remains to be seen.

Secretary of Higher Education Kamran Afridi told this correspondent that funds for scholarships are not available during the current fiscal year, and the institute did not establish contact at the beginning of the financial year. Therefore, no funds can be provided for scholarships this year. However, the case will be presented to the provincial cabinet for the next fiscal year, and after the cabinet’s approval, funds may be released in the upcoming year.

He further stated that for the release of funds, the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute will have to be registered with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Higher Education Regulatory Authority (KP HERA), and, like other private institutions, it must provide free admission to 10 percent of its students in accordance with the law.