HYDERABAD, June 25: The University of Sindh on Monday urged the provincial education department to fill vacant posts of teachers and allocate funds for library books and necessary equipment and chemicals for laboratories in the degree colleges affiliated to the university on immediate basis.

The 15th meeting of the university’s affiliation committee presided over by Vice-Chancellor Dr Mazharul Haq Siddiqui stressed filling posts of required teaching staff especially female teachers in the girls’ degree colleges and proposed hiring services of female teachers from local areas.

They could later be persuaded to work in remote areas with offers of handsome incentives, said the meeting which was attended by deans of various faculties, senior professors of the university and representatives of education department.

Referring to a report prepared by an inspection team after visiting six affiliated colleges the meeting observed that shortage of teachers and lack of resources had told upon the quality of education in the colleges.

The meeting recommended separating higher secondary education (intermediate) from degree classes, and said that the colleges visited by the team in March and April this year including the Government Boys and Girls Degree Colleges Thatta, Hala and Nawabshah were not working properly.

The colleges’ principals had directly or indirectly conceded to the team lack of teachers especially science teachers, non-functioning of laboratories and libraries and non-preparation of classes’ timetable.

The report said that one of the reasons behind lack of interest on part of principals was that almost 50 per cent of principals were working as in-charge or acting principals who were reluctant to utilise funds although the colleges had adequate funds in their accounts under different heads.

The meeting decided to inform the provincial minister for education about the state of affairs in the government colleges and also submit a report to the university syndicate.

The committee proposed fresh affiliation of different public and private colleges and institutes and discussed the proposal for introduction of four-year BS degree programme in the affiliated postgraduate degree colleges.

The representative of education department assured the committee that he would forward to the department deficiencies reported by inspection team and discussed in the meeting.