Chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, has said that Pakistan’s higher education sector holds potential to compete globally but continues to suffer due to weak governance and inconsistent investment.
His comments followed the release of the latest QS World University Rankings, where no Pakistani institution made it into the top 350.
Speaking to Geo Pakistan, Dr. Ahmed noted that while Pakistan has the “ingredients” to build world-class universities, key issues such as poor governance, low quality, and underfunding are major barriers.
In the 2025 QS rankings, Quaid-e-Azam University and the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) were ranked 354th and 371st, respectively. The University of Karachi, the country’s largest, only made it into the top 1,001, with no other Sindh-based university in the top 1,500.
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Dr. Ahmed said 18 Pakistani universities are now ranked among the top 1,000 globally, up from just three in 2019—a sign of gradual improvement.
However, he raised concerns over private universities, many of which charge high fees but fail to meet international standards. He also criticised the declining development budget for higher education, noting that the annual budget of a single top Western university often exceeds that of an entire Pakistani institution.
He warned that without serious investment and reforms, universities risk becoming “employment exchanges” instead of centres of excellence.
Calling for strong governance, sustained funding, and quality assurance, Dr. Ahmed stressed that Pakistan must invest in its youth to bridge the global gap in education.