KARACHI, Aug 7: Majority of the government-run intermediate and degree colleges, imparting general as well as specialized education in the city are facing acute shortage of teachers, which is adversely affecting the standard of teaching in these institutions.

It was learnt that about 500 sanctioned posts of teachers had been lying vacant in various city colleges, while about 400 more teachers were required to meet the needs of the old as well as recently-established colleges, where new sections had also been introduced during the last couple of years.

It is interesting to note that the faculty and the administration of one of the reputed city colleges, Govt Adamjee Science College, has requested the authorities to shift the degree section of the college to the Govt Islamia Science College, owing to lack of space, faculty and class rooms.

There are about 2,500 teachers in 90 city colleges, excluding the recently-established institutions, against the sanctioned 3,000 posts, sources in the colleges said.

Sources in the education department claimed that about 800 posts of teachers in colleges had been lying vacant either due to the retirement of teachers or due to want of new sanctioned posts, while about nine colleges, established recently, were suffering due to non-sanctioning of new staff, the sources added.

An official of the education department admitted that there were many vacant posts of teachers, saying the lengthy recruitment process, which also involved the Sindh Public Service Commission, was responsible for the situation.

It was also learnt that while some of the colleges were faced with an acute shortage of teachers, there were a few institutions where teachers were under utilized. In addition to expedite the process of appointing teachers, the government should also move to rationalize the number of teachers in some of the colleges.

According to a city government report, prepared last year, the maximum number of 91 teachers was available at the Sir Syed Girls College.

The names of colleges along with the number of teachers posted there are; St Joseph’s College for Women (58), Govt DJ Science College (64), Govt College for Women, Frere Road (83), PECHS College for Women (86), Khatoon-i-Pakistan College (85), Islamic Science College (53), College of Home Economics (68), Gulshan-i-Iqbal College (62), Abdullah Girls College (62), Govt College for Men, Nazimabad, (59) and APWA Girls College (67).

However, as an adhoc arrangement, some of the colleges engaged teachers on contract basis on a monthly payment, which was not commensurate with their services, informed a principal of one of the city college.

He said that some of the colleges did not have rooms, big enough to accommodate large number of students in a class, so more teachers would be required there, if the bigger sections were to be broken.

According to EDO, colleges, of the City Government Karachi, Prof Raees Alvi, there was a need of at least 700 lecturers to overcome the teaching problem in the colleges.

He said that the matter had also been brought to the knowledge of the high-ups of the city government at a recent meeting, and it was hoped that the Sindh government would take measures to address the situation.—PPI