Pakistan faces alarming drop in engineering enrollments, study reveals

A recent study has highlighted a troubling trend of declining enrollments in engineering programs across Pakistan.

Data from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) indicates a dramatic decrease in engineering enrollments, plummeting from 16,005 in 2017 to just 3,895 in 2024, representing a 76% drop. The study, which gathered information from various educational boards, emphasizes a sustained decline in students choosing pre-engineering courses. Experts warn that this trend poses a significant threat to the country’s development prospects.

Compiled by former vice chancellor Prof. Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad and Umar Ahmad Noor, a research associate at the Earthquake Engineering Centre, University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Peshawar, the report underscores the potential long-term implications for the engineering sector in Pakistan.

“Over the past decade, there has been a marked reduction in students enrolling in pre-engineering programs across the country,” the report notes. This decline has also impacted other related disciplines such as physics, computer science, electronics, architecture, space sciences, and mathematics, all of which rely on pre-engineering as a foundational prerequisite.

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Data from the Engineering Entrance Test (ETEA) at UET Peshawar reveals a steep decline in test takers, from 15,529 students in 2018 to only 4,579 in 2023, with a further drop to 3,895 in the latest entrance test for 2024.

Enrollment figures show a similar trend nationwide. In 2015, the Federal Board recorded 14,605 students in pre-engineering exams compared to 12,397 in pre-medical. By 2023, pre-engineering enrollments had dropped to 35%, down from 54% in 2015.

The study’s findings highlight a consistent 19% decrease in pre-engineering enrollments over eight years, with a corresponding rise in pre-medical enrollments. This trend is evident across various educational boards.

The report calls for immediate action from key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Planning and Development, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Pakistan Engineering Council, to address and reverse the decline in engineering education.