Stakeholders call for quality, coordination in BS programmes

PESHAWAR: Participants at a consultative forum on the Bachelor of Studies (BS) programme have stressed the need for practical measures to enhance the quality, employability and utility of undergraduate education across institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The session was jointly organised by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Foundation (KPEF) and the University of Peshawar (UoP). Representatives from the Directorate of Higher Education, Directorate General of Commerce and Management Education, Higher Education Regulatory Authority (HERA) and faculty and students from public and private universities, including the City University and Sarhad University.

University of Peshawar Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Jauhar Ali, who was the chief guest at the inaugural session and Managing Director KPEF Zariful Maani chaired the concluding session of the discussion.

In his opening remarks, Dr Jauhar Ali said that the BS programme was launched to align Pakistan’s higher education with international standards, as many students pursuing studies abroad earlier faced compatibility issues.

He, however, lamented that the program’s original spirit had been diluted as it was introduced across every discipline without adequate preparation or quality assurance. Dr Jauhar highlighted that the unchecked expansion of universities, coupled with dwindling financial support from the Higher Education Commission (HEC) since 2018, had weakened the academic and fiscal structure of higher education institutions.

“Accessibility to higher education has improved as universities and other higher education institutions have been opened at every doorstep, but often at the cost of quality,” he said. He pointed out that the financial burden had largely shifted to students due to reduced federal funding.

He also traced the evolution of higher education in the province. He recalled that several leading institutions such as the Engineering University, Khyber Medical College (KMC) and the Agriculture University had originally been part of the University of Peshawar before their upgradation to separate universities.

Managing Director KPEF Zariful Maani lauded the productive debate and urged for similar sessions to be held in other districts of the province. He stressed the importance of credible data hubs in educational institutions and administrative departments to enable informed policymaking.

“Policy improvement and governance reform are impossible without accurate and reliable data,” he said. He underscored the need for coordination among universities, colleges and government departments to enhance quality and efficiency.

Zariful Maani also called attention to the issue of harassment in higher education institutions, the widening financial gaps between colleges and universities and disconnect across different tiers of education.

He reiterated that the KPEF, under its 1992 Act, has the legal mandate to study the education system and submit evidence-based recommendations to the provincial government for policy formulation.

The stakeholders shared their experiences regarding semester systems, examination procedures and research facilities, especially at college level. The student participants called for improved academic and administrative support.

Both faculty and management representatives agreed that a comprehensive policy overhaul, grounded in stakeholder consultation and evidence-based planning, was essential to sustain the BS programme as a meaningful reform in higher education.