December 30, 2006	Saturday	Zilhaj 08, 1427

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SIALKOT, Dec 29: The Government Murray College, the alma mater of two great poets Allama Muhammad Iqbal and Faiz Ahmed Faiz, has been facing shortage of teaching staff, classrooms and other basic facilities since long.

The 117-year old college building, now in dire state of disrepair, requires at least Rs10 million funds for its immediate repair and renovation.

At least 12 more classrooms are urgently required for the present strength of 6,000 students.

Similarly, several posts of professors and lecturers have been lying vacant for the last several years. Among these, two posts of biology assistant professors, one each post of chemistry, mathematic, physical education, physics and commerce lecturers, three each posts of economics and physics assistant professors, one post of political science assistant professor, two posts of statistics and three posts of Urdu assistant professors are lying vacant.

The college is running without a librarian while no appointments have been made on vacant seats of a superintendent, four junior clerks, eight laboratory assistant lecturers, a library attendant, two naib qasids, two gardeners, three sweepers and two laboratory attendants since long.

Principal Prof Qamar Malik said that a multi-purpose hall and a sports complex should be provided to the college for the promotion of extra-curricular activities.

He also underscored the need for the provision of a transport facility to college students.

In the absence of a proper computer laboratory, he said the students were sent to adjacent private IT colleges.

The principal said that students were also facing difficulties owing to an inordinate delay in the construction of a multi-storey block for MA classes.

He said the project, started some two years back, was to be completed in a stipulated period of one year. He said the contractor had not even completed the ground-floor construction.

An education department official said the provincial government had announced that the Government Murray College would be given a model status, but no practical steps have so far been taken in this regard.