Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's education sector does not suffer from a shortage of slogans. It suffers from a shortage of governance. The latest scandal at Gomal University is another reminder that the province's higher education system remains vulnerable to corruption, weak oversight and institutional decay.
Scandal at Gomal University
Hundreds of suspicious degrees, questionable financial transactions, allegedly forged deposit slips and university dues reportedly routed into unauthorised accounts are not minor administrative lapses. The inquiry into Gomal University has already identified 514 suspicious degrees issued through affiliated private colleges. It has also raised serious questions about financial irregularities and the possible embezzlement of public funds. A former director of affiliation has been suspended, investigations are continuing against examination officials, and a forensic audit has been recommended for multiple departments.
This is precisely where the government's attention should be fixed: cleaning up the system, establishing accountability, protecting public funds and restoring the credibility of degrees issued by public universities.
Declaring Education Emergency
Instead, the provincial leadership appears eager to pursue another grand education showcase. Chief Minister Sohail Afridi's plan to establish 72 Chief Minister Model Schools at an estimated cost of Rs9.5 billion may sound impressive on paper. Modern facilities, trained faculty, distinct curricula and centralised governance are attractive phrases. But in a province of millions, 72 branded schools cannot compensate for a broken education system. They may create islands of privilege, but they will not fix the sea of dysfunction around them.
KP does not need vanity projects before institutional repair. It needs working schools, accountable universities, clean examination systems, transparent affiliation mechanisms, proper audits and serious action against those who have turned education into a marketplace of forged credentials and stolen funds.
Medicinal Plants
There is nothing wrong with building model schools in principle. But reform cannot begin with branding. It must begin with basics. A government that cannot guarantee the integrity of university degrees has no business presenting showpiece campuses as proof of transformation.
