IMSciences tops overall list; performance-based grants announced
DLP Report
PESHAWAR
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday unveiled Pakistan’s first provincial university ranking system, becoming the first province to institutionalise a performance-based framework for higher education institutions.
The rankings were announced by KP Minister for Higher Education and Local Government Mina Khan Afridi at a press conference attended by Information Minister Shafi Jan, vice chancellors and senior officials from public and private universities.
The framework was developed after reviewing internationally recognised assessment models and national ranking mechanisms, incorporating indicators most relevant to the provincial sector.
Universities were evaluated on 12 major indicators and 66 sub-indicators covering governance, academic excellence, research performance, student services, financial management and institutional development.
Assessments were conducted across four categories: Overall Rankings, General Universities, Technical and Professional Universities, Emerging Universities and Private Universities.
In the Overall Rankings, the Institute of Management Sciences (IMSciences), Peshawar, secured the top position among 45 universities. Hazara University placed second, followed by Pak-Austria Fachhochschule: Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (PAF-IAST), Haripur, in third.
Under the General Universities category, IMSciences again ranked first, with Hazara University second and the University of Malakand third. In Technical and Professional Universities, the University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, topped the list, followed by Khyber Medical University and the University of Agriculture, Peshawar.
A separate Emerging Universities category was introduced for institutions established after 2011. PAF-IAST led this group, followed by Shuhada-e-APS University of Technology Nowshera and the University of Haripur. Among private-sector institutions, the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology topped the rankings, with CECOS University of Information Technology and Emerging Sciences and Qurtuba University of Science and Information Technology, Dera Ismail Khan, securing second and third places respectively.
Mr Afridi described the initiative as a landmark reform in Pakistan’s higher education sector. He announced that future performance-based grants would be linked to rankings to encourage healthy competition and continuous improvement. The exercise will be conducted annually to ensure accountability, transparency and quality enhancement across institutions, he said.
The minister added that the provincial government had established 14 universities over the past 13 years and was planning additional incentives and facilities for students in the upcoming budget. He expressed confidence that the ranking system would help universities strengthen research and innovation and improve their standing at both national and international levels.
