FROM COLONIAL ROOTS TO POST-INDEPENDENCE REALITIES: THE EVOLUTION OF GOVERNANCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PUNJAB

Abstract

This study examines the governance, objectives, and academic priorities of the University of the Punjab (1882–2022) through the theoretical lenses of historical institutionalism, path dependency, and postcolonial critique. It investigates how colonial-era governance structures and educational priorities have persisted despite post-independence reforms and regulatory interventions. Addressing the research questions, how have colonial structures perpetuated institutional governance, and what role have post-1947 reforms played in reinforcing or challenging these legacies? the study employs qualitative document analysis of government reports, peer-reviewed articles, university archives, and international agency publications. The findings reveal that the university’s founding vision of promoting vernacular education under British rule shifted toward Western-centric curricula, a trajectory entrenched by bureaucratic path dependencies. Post-independence reforms, particularly the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) neoliberal policies (2002–2022) and international donor-driven agendas, have exacerbated epistemic colonialism by prioritizing English-medium research outputs and market-driven metrics, marginalizing indigenous knowledge systems. Despite the university’s physical expansion, governance remains centralized under colonial-era frameworks, with the Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) replicating British audit cultures. By embedding its analysis within broader organizational theory and change management literature, this research contributes to decolonial theory by demonstrating how institutional layering sustains colonial hierarchies while practically underscoring the need for grassroots policymaking to dismantle bureaucratic inertia. These findings challenge the alignment of Pakistan’s higher education objectives with postcolonial ideals, urging a critical reevaluation of donor-driven reforms in Global South contexts.