KARACHI: Problems at new colleges likely to end by January
By Mukhtar Alam
KARACHI, Nov 29: The academic and administrative problems at 10 newly established city colleges are likely to be overcome after proper recruitment of lecturers by the mid of January, said sources in the education department of city government.
The colleges, which were declared functional for academic purpose some five months back, lacked the basic facilities for training at present. The colleges were established by the city government in view of the inconvenience faced by students in getting admission to colleges located in their vicinities and to transfer the load of enrolment from some colleges, which had become unmanageable from administrative point of view, to other colleges.
A government official claimed that the decision to open the colleges was warmly welcomed by citizens, as over 4,000 male and female students got admissions there. However, like other colleges established in the past, these colleges too have been faced with technical problems, including inadequate posting of teachers and non-teaching staff, absence of furniture, equipments and funds.
In addition to the scarcity of basic resources, certain misunderstandings taking place on the administrative front between the city and provincial governments also caused chaos in regard to working of these colleges.
Till last week, a few of these colleges had been failing to conduct theory classes, as those were not equipped with teachers and furniture. The official, however, said that the situation would soon be changed as the available volunteer/ honorary teachers, had been posted on equitable basis almost in all the new colleges. He said that the Sindh government had also approved SNEs for the new colleges.
It was learnt that the process for adhoc appointment of lecturers in new and old colleges would start from Dec 7, 2003 with a written test. “We hope that the provincial government has realized the crisis emerged due to significant shortage of teachers almost in all the city colleges and as such the process of adhoc recruitment will be completed on priority basis,” added the official.
Regarding furniture and equipment, it was said that it would take some more time as funds for the new colleges were yet to be released. A few colleges were still without furnitures, due to which students, including the female ones, were asked to sit on floor for classes, said a college principal.
However, the city government’s official said that furniture were being made available to the new colleges gradually with the support of philanthropists and principals of old colleges, who had surplus furnitures. The principals have been urged to allow shifting of surplus furnitures to the new colleges for the time being in order to overcome the academic crisis, he added.
The newly established colleges are as follows: Degree Boys College, Landhi-4; Degree Boys College, Konkar Gadap; Degree Boys College, Manghopir; Degree Boys College, Surjani Town; Degree Girls College, Block-K, North Nazimabad; Degree Girls College, Gulshan-i-Iqbal; Degree Girls College, Sector 11-I, North Karachi; Degree Girls College, Sector 42-C, Korangi; Degree Girls Arts and Commerce College, Malir; and Degree Girls Science College, Shah Faisal Colony.
When contacted, EDO Higher Education Prof Muhammad Rais Alvi said that students admitted to the new colleges were being imparted education and it would not be correct to say that teaching at some of the new colleges was yet to start.
He said that the Board of Intermediate Education had granted affiliation to the new colleges and as such there was no need to worry about the status of the students of new colleges.
He said that the city government was taking all measures to ensure academic environment at these colleges. He expressed hope that a remarkable change would be seen by the end of December, when new lecturers would be provided by the provincial government.
