The traditional approach to education is undergoing a profound transformation in this era of rapid technological advancements and changing economic landscapes because of the exponential growth of digitalization, artificial intelligence, and information technology, which have begun to positively impact people's lives. 

This revolutionary shift in the educational system is a direct result of the growing realization that young students need to be prepared with relevant knowledge and given the positive outlook they need to succeed in the highly competitive job market once their 16 years of education are over.

"The days of a safe job path being assured only by a college or university degree are long gone. Employers now favor graduates with a broad skill set, flexibility, and a readiness to work in competitive industrial and digital markets with a drive to innovate and deliver results fast, according to Professor Dr. Zilakat Malik, the former head of the University of Peshawar's economics department, in an interview with APP. In addition to encouraging social, technological, and economic transformation in society, he said that higher education was a rich cultural and scientific resource that prepared students for a variety of careers.

According to Dr. Zilakat, public universities and higher education institutions (HEIs) are the ones that accelerate economic growth, provide students with the skills and knowledge required for work abroad, and share knowledge, research, and innovation.

The failure to provide the Rs 3,000 million annual provincial grants that were promised has worsened the financial crisis in the majority of KP's universities and made it more difficult for them to support academic programs, research studies, and infrastructure maintenance while maintaining discipline-specific quality. 

Up to 20 of the 34 institutions were predicted to have budget deficits, and 27 of them devote more than 50% of their funds to operating expenses, necessitating a priority realignment of their spending plans.

Dr. Zilakat says the survey has revealed how unstable most of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's universities are. "Only by giving public universities financial autonomy and putting an emphasis on cutting-edge research in line with market demands will job creators emerge."

He used a Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) 2021 Report to argue that it was extremely concerning that there were now over 22.8 million out-of-school children (OSC) nationwide, with 4.7 million of them in KP between the ages of five and sixteen.

A BISP study stated that, concerningly, almost 2.9 million girls and one million OSC in amalgamated tribal areas were still not in school. It also stated that, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, poverty and socioeconomic disparities account for 74.4 percent of girls' and 38.5 percent of boys' absence from school.