The Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Associations (FAPUASA) has made an urgent appeal to both federal and provincial governments to substantially enhance the budget for universities under the banner of FAPUASA demands higher education revival in the upcoming fiscal year 2025–2026.
In a joint meeting with the All Government Employees Grand Alliance (AGEGA) at Quaid-i-Azam University, FAPUASA leadership stressed unified action for strengthening the higher education sector. The association raised alarm over the stagnant higher education budget—frozen at Rs65 billion since 2017—despite a jump in universities from 120 to 156. Operational costs, inflation, and a 130% increase in salaries and utilities have rendered the current allocation grossly insufficient, reinforcing their call that FAPUASA demands higher education revival is more than a slogan—it’s a necessity.
FAPUASA emphasized that the Higher Education Commission’s recent demand of Rs86 billion for FY 2025-26 still falls short of the actual requirement. They reiterated their longstanding appeal for education to receive 5% of GDP, with 2% specifically for higher education as pledged by major political parties like PML-N and PPP. Stressing that FAPUASA demands higher education revival must be met with action, they urged the federal government to raise the recurring grant to Rs200 billion, while calling on provinces to boost their contributions to save the sector from collapse.
With universities struggling to pay salaries and maintain academic standards, this is no longer a routine adjustment—it is a national emergency.
