Neglecting Baloch Education, Balochistan’s Education Crisis

Recently, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Balochistan Assembly raised alarm over the financial crisis engulfing the University of Balochistan. A review of the university’s accounts over the past five years has exposed a grim reality—one that students and faculty have been decrying for months. The scale of corruption at one of Balochistan’s leading universities is staggering, and the pettiness of the schemes involved only deepens the disappointment, given the institution’s supposed prestige.

Consider the practices of previous administrations, vice chancellors, and senior officials, who appointed hundreds of employees—many of them relatives—without regard for the university’s budget. This nepotism, coupled with blatant misuse of resources, such as appropriating laptops intended for students, exemplifies the crude and small-scale corruption that has crippled the institution. These actions have pushed the university into a dire state where it can no longer pay salaries or pensions, sparking a mass strike by students and faculty.

That it took an intervention from the provincial assembly to bring this crisis to light reveals a damning indictment of Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies and the Higher Education Commission (HEC), whose oversight failures allowed this debacle to persist.

Balochistan, already isolated in terms of infrastructure and connectivity, continues to be sidelined by such neglect. Educational institutions like universities and schools are critical for bridging the gap between the province and the rest of Pakistan. When these institutions are mismanaged and treated with such disdain, they breed frustration and resentment among students, who feel abandoned by the very system meant to uplift them.

Pakistan cannot hope to integrate Balochistan through law enforcement or foreign-funded infrastructure projects if it neglects something as fundamental as education. Neglecting the educational backbone of the province only deepens the disconnect, leaving its people further behind.

The individuals responsible for this scandal—from university officials to the oversight bodies that failed in their duties—must face stringent accountability. Only through decisive action can Pakistan hope to restore trust in its institutions and offer Balochistan a genuine chance to thrive within the national framework.