KP Govt Moves Toward Privatizing 55 Colleges

Following the privatization of 1,500 schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa earlier this year, preparations are now underway to hand over 55 public colleges to the private sector.

The Higher Education Department (HED) has compiled a list of colleges under consideration. The largest share comes from Dera Ismail Khan, the home district of Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, where seven colleges are included.

Swabi, the constituency of Provincial Education Minister Faisal Tarakai, has six colleges on the list, while five colleges each from South Waziristan and Karak, four from Bannu and Battagram, and three from Orakzai are also set for privatization.

Other districts include Abbottabad, Haripur, Mansehra, Nowshera, Kurram, Shangla, and Kohistan with two colleges each, while Peshawar, Hangu, Lower Dir, Malakand, North Waziristan, and FR Tank each have one college under the plan.

Secretary Higher Education Kamran Afridi clarified that a final decision has not yet been taken, but the government is working to “increase the capacity” of these institutions. He said that colleges with fewer than 500 students, shortage of staff, or security challenges have been identified. According to rules, a newly established college must start with 500 students and gradually expand to at least 3,000.

He revealed that in several listed colleges, enrollment is extremely low — in some cases, only double digits — and in many cases, the admissions are “bogus” and exist only on paper. In such situations, Afridi argued, handing management over to the private sector may help improve the quality of education.

Afridi stressed that no teachers would lose their jobs. Instead, faculty from affected colleges would be transferred to nearby institutions, given that 6,000 colleges in the province are already facing staff shortages. He also confirmed that 3,086 new teaching positions are vacant and awaiting cabinet approval for recruitment.

However, the decision has drawn criticism from educators. Abdul Hameed Afridi, President of the Professors, Lecturers, and Librarians Association, said that teachers had voiced strong reservations to Higher Education Minister Meena Khan Afridi. The minister, according to him, assured that these objections would be considered and privatization would not move ahead in colleges where concerns exist.

He argued that most government colleges are performing well, except for a few in remote areas. Instead of privatization, he said, the government should focus on addressing pressing issues such as teacher shortages, lack of facilities, and the security situation. “Without resolving these problems, how can better results be expected?” he asked, adding that history shows students from KP’s public colleges have consistently excelled in competitive exams.