Abstract
<p> <em>This study attempted to compare the management practices in public and private universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, Pakistan. The comparison is based on availability of written rules and regulations, distribution of tasks, availability of managers, access to officers, time management, work load, staff promotion procedure and appraisal system. Additionally, the comparison is also based on transparency, political intervention, use of authorities, nepotism and biasness, human resource availability and functions, academic decisions, existence of different decision making bodies, committees and their role in policy making and implementation and management styles. The population comprised all recognized universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and a convenience sampling of six universities included three from public and three from private sector. The findings showed that both sector universities had the required offices, staff members and managers. The areas where private universities were observed weak as compared to public universities were lack of proper staff vacancy advertisements and induction policies, vague appraisal system, low salary packages and limited freedom to managers. Public universities were found unsatisfactory in areas including staff induction on merit based policies and political intervention, lack of monitoring system and lack of collegiality amongst university offices. The study recommends that universities in both sectors should prepare staff and student manuals for transparency procedures, should improve the skills and knowledge of its staff/managers by conducting seminars/ workshops/ trainings in collaboration with HEC and other regulatory bodies on regular basis, and establish public private partnership to improve university management system in Pakistan.</em></p>
Highlights
Universities are places of high professional learning, where one acquires social, intellectual and economic benefits in life
A vast majority (80%) stated that time table was made by the concerned department in public and 45% in private sector, while 24% public university management and 77% management in private universities made the time tables. 63% public and 50% private universities have clearly chalked out rules and regulations for their teachers and students. 70% indicated that communication was satisfactory between staff and managers in public and 71% in private universities
The outcomes showed that the public and private universities had written rules and regulations regarding managerial practices. It was revealed from the data result that public universities were performing better in the use of managers’ authorities, disciplinary committee availability, vacancy advertisements, staff induction process and the availability of different bodies and committees as compared to private universities which were observed to be lacking in such areas
Summary
Universities are places of high professional learning, where one acquires social, intellectual and economic benefits in life. Though there are many universities in Pakistan which offer quality higher education, these institutions are far behind from the universities of the developed world due to academic and administrative reasons. According to Isani (2001), the major problems of higher education in Pakistan are the outdated curriculum, traditional pedagogical practices, faulty examination system, political leadership and lack of adequate interest in effective education management and administration. Isani asserts that the education system in Pakistan is facing the problem of lack of modern technologies and strategies. After the establishment of Higher Education Commission (HEC) in Pakistan, the quality of higher education has considerably improved and developed as compared to the past, but it still needs further efforts to standardize the system
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