Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), the nation’s top university, is currently dealing with a serious financial crisis that jeopardises its ability to continue operating normally and presents a dire outlook for the institution’s future. During a recent discussion on the university’s financial position with the Rs5 billion bailout package, Dr. Mazhar Iqbal, the president of the Academic Staff Association, emphasised the urgent need for intervention.
Initially established as the Islamabad University in 1967, the leading institution was renamed the Quaid-i-Azam University in honour of the nation’s founder on his centenary in 1976. It is the only federal university with a charter that allows it to accept students from all four provinces and all federating units, including GB, AJK, and urban and rural areas.
QAU was originally intended to be a research university, offering MPhil and PhD programmes until the early 1980s. Later, MSc programmes were made available, and in 2012, the Bachelor of Science (BSc) was finally introduced. Today, QAU’s four faculties and nine research institutes and centres enrol about 12,000 students, who represent all of the federating units of the nation.
The university has established a strong reputation for both teaching and research, and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has continuously ranked it as the top university in the nation. As per the QS World University Rankings, QAU has secured a significant position on the international arena and ranked 315th in 2024.
Declaring QAU the nation’s flagship institution in 2017, then federal minister for Education and Professional Training Engr Muhammad Balighur Rehman congratulated the faculty, staff, students, and alumni for earning a spot among the world’s top 500 universities. Since then, the university’s standing has considerably improved on a global scale.
Notwithstanding the successes, QAU has long struggled with significant financial difficulties. Insufficient and stagnant government funding through the HEC has allowed costs to skyrocket over the past few years due to startling inflation. The university is consequently facing a budget deficit of more than 20%, or about Rs800 million. Payments for teaching, lab supplies and consumables, student fellowships, medical bills, and even office supplies have been deferred since January 2023.
In an attempt to prevent the impending financial collapse and to increase funding for higher education generally, Dr. Mazhar Iqbal has made an urgent appeal to the president, prime minister, federal minister for education and professional training, chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), and chancellor of the university to provide a special grant and bailout package.
“QAU typically receives disproportionately little funding from the state. In accordance with the PML-N’s manifesto, which calls for performance-based funding for higher education, the university’s long-term success warrants a Rs. 5 billion bailout package, he said. With sufficient backing, QAU could continue on its current trajectory and rank among the top 100 universities in the world, making a substantial contribution to Pakistan’s research and educational environment.
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