KARACHI, April 23: Although state of basic and higher education is not satisfactory in public sector in Karachi, technical education is an area which has been badly neglected despite tall claims made by the government functionaries and the education department officials.
All renowned technical institutes of the past in public sector, including government College of Technology, SITE Karachi, Jamia Millia Technical College, Government Saify Technical College, Jinnah Polytechnic and various other technical institutions are in shambles owing to negligence of authorities, lack of funds for lab equipment and shortage of teaching faculty and non-teaching staff.
The Government College of Technology in SITE Karachi is facing an acute shortage of laboratories and equipment for conducting practical examinations besides qualified faculty, thereby badly hurting the standard of technical education and prestige of the technical institution.
“Currently, the authorities are providing Rs0.5 per student per period of laboratory works to its students whereas the institution also lacks qualified faculty and other non-teaching staff to take lectures and assist students in performing practical works,” a GCT faculty member said.
Despite being disaffiliated by the NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, for absence of laboratories and qualified faculty, the administration of Government College of Technology SITE is not able to acquire ample amount of funds to run the affairs of the institution although the authorities had promised to arrange funds to maintain the standard and quality of education at the college, he added.
“Students and teachers were informed that negotiations are under way with Asian Development Bank (ADB) to finance construction of labs, maintenance of building and hiring of qualified faculty”, he informed and added that despite passage of more than a year, nothing has improved.
The same is the condition of Government Polytechnic Institute, Lyari.
The education department’s works division has also failed to adequately maintain the institute’s buildings and other infrastructure.
“The college’s buildings have not been painted for the last several years,” a faculty member said. “And you can find cracks in almost all walls of the college. Some of the walls are in danger of falling over.”
He maintained that because of a ban on appointment of lecturers, about 20 per cent of the faculty seats were vacant for the last five years.
“The total strength of teachers today stands less than 80 per cent of the total number of faculty members needed. We have only about 65 teachers.”
“In the polytechnic and monotechnic institutions, only 40 per cent of the course work was supposed to be theoretical. The remaining course work was to be made up of laboratory work,” he added.
Owing to a cash crunch, the education department has cut the funds for the laboratory works at various other technical institutions, including Government Saify Edizahabi Institute of Technology, Jinnah Polytechnic Institute, Swedish Technical Institute, Landhi, Technical Training Centre, Hyderi and Jamia Millia Polytechnic Institute, Malir Karachi.
Now the polytechnic students and teachers make do with theoretical work only.
“The aim of establishing polytechnics has been defeated,” informed a faculty member of the Jamia Millia Institute.
“Once diploma programmes offered by these institutes were very popular, and thousands of students used to get admissions under this programme every year, and the number of students applying for this programme is usually more than 45,000.”
He said in the recent past, the chair for head of these institutions had become a rotating one. “A couple of the principals had tenures of six months or less. Frequent changes at the top can never be good for an institution.”
During a visit to Government Polytechnic Institute, Lyari, it transpired that the central library of the college, built about four years ago, has already fallen into disrepair with its walls had cracks.
The college gymnasium reflects the administration’s neglect, not the students’ athletic abilities. The gymnasium’s roof and walls, made of tin and asbestos, have gaping holes. The administration only uses the big structure to park old vehicles.
Almost all the windowpanes in the institute are broken. All the washrooms meant for the students are unfit for use. “We don’t get water. This is a common complaint here in Lyari,” informed a non-teaching staff member of the institute.
He said only two washrooms were in operation and only the faculty members used them.
The road leading to the college is full of potholes. “This road was built in the ‘50s and repaired in the ‘70s. After the ‘70s it was never repaired. That’s why it’s in such a bad shape,” he added.
The institute’s administration was given a one-year notice year to improve its teaching standards, lab facilities and for acquiring qualified faculty, but owing to lack of funds, the conditions could not be improved.
