Admissions to intermediate programmes at government colleges across the Rawalpindi Division have declined sharply, with only 15,167 students applying for FA and FSc programmes out of more than 61,000 students who passed matriculation this year.
According to the latest figures, only 24.75% of matriculation graduates applied for admission to government colleges, while around 75.25% did not pursue admission in the public-sector institutions.
The data covers 104 government postgraduate, graduate and associate colleges across six districts of the Rawalpindi Division. A total of 61,284 students passed matriculation through the Rawalpindi Board, but only 15,167 submitted applications for intermediate programmes at government colleges.
In Rawalpindi district and Murree, 13 graduate colleges received a combined 3,296 applications. Government Graduate College Rawalpindi, commonly known as Government Gordon College, received the highest number with 538 applications.
The Postgraduate Women College Gujar Khan received 431 applications, while the Postgraduate Women College B-Block recorded 413 applications.
Meanwhile, associate colleges in Rawalpindi district received 4,927 applications. Government Associate Women College Dhoke Syedan received the highest number with 296 applications, followed by Government Associate Women College Dhoke Hasu with 287 and Government Associate Women College Jhanda Chichi with 274 applications.
In Chakwal and Talagang, 21 government colleges received a combined 1,744 applications. Four graduate colleges accounted for 908 applications, while the remaining applications were submitted to 17 associate colleges.
The figures highlight a significant gap between the number of students completing matriculation and those choosing government colleges for intermediate education. The sharp decline has raised concerns over the declining appeal of public-sector colleges across the Rawalpindi Division.
