PESHAWAR: After revising the fee structure under various heads, the public sector universities of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa substantially increased the fees to meet the expenses.
According to officials, the fees at Khyber Medical University (KMU), Islamia College University (ICU), Peshawar University, and the Agriculture University of Peshawar have all been raised.
According to an official document from ICU, the university administration raised the hostel price to Rs. 3000 while keeping the pre-medical open merit fee at Rs. 45465. Similarly, the KMU has also announced a rise in exam costs.
The four major universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Islamia College University (ICU), Peshawar University, and Agriculture University Peshawar, recently wrote a letter to the Chief Minister KP regarding the issue.
It is important to note that the public sector universities in the province were experiencing a severe financial crisis. The universities’ administrations reported that they would be unable to implement the government’s proposed salary and pension increases of 35% and 17%, respectively, in the fiscal year 2023.
It said that HEC had informed the varsities’ administrations that instead of increasing the salaries, there would be a slight reduction in the universities’ budget.
The letter said that salaries and pensions were increased in other provinces and by the federal institutions, but the KP universities were treated discriminately.
According to official sources, the Agricultural University Peshawar was facing a deficit of Rs one billion, the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Rs 616 million, Peshawar University 1.413 billion, and Islamia College Rs 81.7 million. —APP
