By Aiman Zameer
Today, many of us are pursuing degrees merely for the sake of degrees. Not because we lack ambition, but because the market still demands a certain degree, a minimum GPA, or a set academic threshold to enter employment or pursue further education. Universities are aware of this fact. Yet rather than challenging it, they reinforce it by prioritizing grades over personal development.
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Even in 2026, students live under constant fear of failure. This fear restricts real learning, preempts difficult questions, while discouraging debate and discussions. Classrooms that ought to promote candid conversation frequently turn into places where students speak hesitantly or not at all, afraid of being judged and dismissed. The mentoring role of teachers is at times overshadowed by a more authoritarian approach.
University administrations further exacerbate this issue through indifference and rigid systems that add unnecessary stress. As a result, students don’t learn; instead, they only put in the bare minimum needed to get good grades.
Professors’ behavior is not an exception to this issue. Many students experience humiliation instead of the understanding and assistance they expect when approaching instructors. Students’ mental health suffers as a result of this experience, which also makes them more distressed. Academic harassment undermines students’ hopes and expectations in universities, which were traditionally thought of as safe havens for thought and expression.
Academic challenges aside, the emotional drain is overwhelming. Students are frequently reminded of their status as “merely students” and deterred from questioning authority when they try to speak out against injustice.
Administrative negligence also appears in everyday practices that silently erode students’ motivation. Teachers’ absenteeism is often left unquestioned, and students are rarely informed in advance about cancelled or rescheduled classes. Instead, they are expected to wait endlessly for updates, checking notices, messages, or simply sitting in classrooms in uncertainty. This disregard for students’ time reinforces the message that their presence, effort, and time hold little value within the academic system.
Ever since student unions were outlawed in Pakistan in 1984, students’ voices have been systematically hushed. Deprived of collective representation, they are left on their own without any democratic or formal avenues for grievances redressal. As a result, concerns that could have been addressed through dialogue often escalate into direct conflict with university administrations, while many others are forced to fight silent battles followed by frustration, fear, and break off. In addition to undermining accountability in educational institutions, this lack of student representation aggravates the power imbalance between students and authorities, making students more susceptible to institutional indifference, intimidation, and neglect.
In the 2020–21 academic year, Pakistan’s universities enrolled a record 2.2 million students, according to reports cited in Dawn News. After that, student enrolment started to drop, and in just one year in 2022–2023, university enrolment dropped by 13%. Students are being pushed away from academia by this environment. Many now prefer studying abroad, entering corporate jobs, taking government exams, or building independent businesses. This shift is understandable. Students ideally pursue higher education to grow, to upgrade their skills, and to avoid stagnation. When universities fail to meet these expectations, investing in them begins to feel like a strategic compromise rather than a rational choice.
Universities must confront this uncomfortable truth: they are merely producing degrees, not educated individuals, and providing non-conducive settings for growth. If universities wish to remain relevant today they must address their administrative failures and should create an environment that feels secure, open, and academically autonomous.
The Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) role becomes crucial at this point. Beyond accreditation and rankings, the HEC must actively protect students’ academic and mental health as the main regulatory body. Universities must be required to establish independent and time-bound grievance redressal committees with student representation. In addition, HEC should guarantee the availability of on-campus mental health services, standardize fair evaluation and appeal procedures, and conduct routine audits of academic settings as part of its quality checks.
On the part of universities, this requires moving beyond rote learning and traditional grading systems to function as centres of research and innovation. The integration of technology, applied research, and problem-solving into academic programs is essential not only for improving learning outcomes but also for meeting national development needs. To make this shift possible, the government and regulatory bodies must ensure adequate and sustained funding for research and development, enabling universities to produce real-time knowledge, innovation, and skilled graduates rather than just degrees.
Similarly, given the current demographic of youth and students in Pakistan, concerted efforts should be made to restore student unions, delineating their mandate, roles and functions, disciplinary committees, faculty and administration. Additionally, student-teacher centres and a formal dispute resolution apparatus between administration and students should be established to prevent tussle and ensure constructive engagement.
The writer is a student and social activist.
eman1022002@gmail.com
