August 31, 2008	Sunday	Sha'aban 28, 1429

NAUSHAHRO FEROZE, Aug 30: Future of hundreds of students is at stake at the Government Degree College Naushahro Feroze, which is facing shortage of teaching staff for several years.

Currently it has 222 students of BCom part-I and II and around 200 students of intermediate commerce but there is only one lecturer of Cost Accounting subject.

The college has no lecturer of Economics, Business Law, Business Taxation, Advance Accounting, Auditing and Business Communication for the last several years. There are two lecturers of English who teach more than 1,000 students.

There was one lecturer of Economics who had retired from services about four years ago but the education department had not posted other lecturer in this college. The students particularly poor were the worst sufferers as they can not afford to shift to other cities and pay heavy tuition fees.

Mohammad Bachal Kakepoto, who is looking after the affairs of the college as in-charge principal as there is no principal at the college, told Dawn that the college has a sanctioned strength of four lecturers and one assistant professor and one associated professor for English but only two lecturers are posted for this subject, who were teaching English to all the classes of arts, science and commerce.

He said that a summary for appointment of five associated professors in different subjects had been approved by the education department but only one had been posted. Similarly, posting of nine assistant professors for different subjects has been sanctioned but the requirement of the college is 18 assistant professors. In all, 13 lecturers were posted against sanctioned strength of 21 lecturers whereas requirement was 30 lecturers.

There are five laboratory assistants in the college while three more were required as there are eight laboratories. There is no IT teacher though the college needed two IT teachers.

Four peons, two watchmen, two sweepers were working but it was not possible for two sweepers to keep the entire college clean.

The college needs assistance for botany, zoology and computer laboratories. Likewise, no post of computer operator and computer lab attendant has been sanctioned.

The degree college would be upgraded for MA classes soon after completion of the under construction building.

Students, teachers and parents have appealed to the Sindh educational minister to take notice of the shortage of teaching and other staff in the college and appoint required staff.