KP to open 65 new colleges in next five years

peshawar — The Khyber Pakthunkhwa government has planned to establish 65 new colleges, including four commerce educational institutes and an Institute of criminology and forensic sciences, during next five years in the province.

A state-of-the art centre of inter disciplinary research would also be set up besides strengthening the Pashto Academy at University of Peshawar, a senior official of the Higher Education Department said on Monday.

The new colleges would be constructed in far-flung areas where no other college is available within the 20 kilometers distance.

The provincial government has taken a principled decision to expand the Bachelor’s programme to tackle the rush of students in public

sector universities and to provide education to girl students near their homes.

The official said Rs1,519 million has been approved for extension and strengthening of Bachelor’s programme in 92 colleges. At present, this programme is available in 114 colleges.

The PTI government has accorded

top priority to digitalization of state-funded libraries and libraries of around 70 colleges had been digitalized in the last five years. The government will establish 200 new IT labs in colleges in the next five years in the province.

A special focus is being paid on strengthening of research work in colleges and universities and students would be given special topics for research keeping in view the present-day challenges and market demands.

Furthermore, an inclusive plan was devised for establishment of higher education reforms unit (HERU) to formulate an inclusive education policy to promote education in the province.

As many as 10 new sector universities, including Chitral University, Women University Swabi, Abbottabad University, Lakki Marwat University, Women University Mardan, UET Mardan, Buner University, UoT Nowshera, Agriculture University D.I. Khan and Pak-Austria University of Applied Sciences at Haripur were established by the PTI government during the last five years in Khyber Pakthunkhwa. — APP