The federal budget offers little hope for Pakistan’s education sector. This comes as no surprise. Under the constraints of an IMF programme, development expenditure has been slashed, and the remainder is funnelled toward debt servicing and defence. Education, once again, has been pushed to the margins-sacrificed for fiscal survival. Yet, even more troubling is the shrinking space for Pakistani students in global academic institutions that once served as a lifeline for higher learning.
This week, the board overseeing the Fulbright Program resigned en masse. In a sharp rebuke of the Trump administration’s political interference, the board warned that American foreign scholarship programmes were now being ideologically policed. For Pakistani applicants, this could mean reduced chances of admission, especially in light of Pakistan’s vocal support for Palestine and its position as a key Muslim country in the region.
This is not an isolated incident. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also called for sanctions and investigations against Harvard University-arguably the world’s most respected academic institution-marking a broader trend of political targeting and ideological gatekeeping in American higher education.
With the UK and Europe echoing Washington’s foreign policy stance, often without question, it is time for Pakistani students and policymakers to reconsider their global academic priorities. The future may well lie in forging educational partnerships across the Global South-in Asia, Africa, South America, China, Russia, and Southeast Asia-regions historically overlooked by Pakistani students but increasingly relevant in a shifting world order.
As access to the institutions of the Global North grows more restricted, it is imperative for developing nations to support each other in creating new pathways to academic excellence, innovation, and exchange.
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