PESHAWAR: Students and teachers of the Government Polytechnic Institute for Women, Hayatabad, have feared that the shifting of their educational institution from its purpose-built building to a rented commercial plaza on Dalazak Road will force many to discontinue education due to accessibility and security concerns.

The institute was established in 1988 and functioned in a building of Abdara locality. However, it was shifted to Hayatabad after the separation of commerce and technical education two years ago, which caused it to lose many students.

“This (relocation) will deal a big blow to our enrollment efforts. We shifted to this Hayatabad building just two years ago,” said a GPIW teacher requesting anonymity.

Student Kainat, who lives in Hayatabad, said if the institute was shifted to Dalazak Road, it would be too difficult for her and many others to spend two hours every day traveling between it and home.

“My parents won’t allow that,” she said, adding that the hiring of conveyance to travel between the institute and home cost her around Rs6,000 every month, which she couldn’t afford.

The student said the GPIW was the only institute, whose charges she could afford to learn dress designing as private universities charged very high fee for that course.

They fear accessibility, security issues will force many to discontinue education

Currently, the institute has one old bus, which offers pick and drop service for some areas of the city only.

In the current academic session, four students are enrolled in electronic technology course, 17 in architecture technology and 78 in dress making and designing technology.

Also, 25 girls are enrolled in six-month beautician course, while the computer course has same number of students.

The institute has 17 staff members. Many girls hailing from Fata are studying there on a scholarship with Rs3,000 honouria and Rs5,000 hostel expenses provided by the government.

“It is a big institute and has sufficient space to work and display it, too. We heard the place we are shifting to is a plaza,” student Shabnam said, adding that Hayatabad was safer than Dalazak Road for girls.

Her classmate Ayesha, who sat next to her, said many girls were thinking about quitting education feeling Dalazak was too far off and unsafe for girls.

A teacher, who visited the commercial plaza, where the Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority wants the GPIW to shift, said it would be difficult to begin technical classes there.

“There are too many rooms within rooms with attached smelly bathrooms and no proper light and ventilation,” she said requesting chairman of the ruling PTI Imran Khan to intervene.

She wondered why there couldn’t be a bus service, the latest equipment and good institutes in Hayatabad and city area both.

“Why should the Tevta shift this institute and risk losing the students we already have?”

She said the Tevta had enough funds to set up polytechnic institutes at both places.

When contacted, Tevta managing director Air Commodore Mohammad Ameen said the current building’s location was not suitable to attract students and therefore, the management had decided to shift the institute to a building with more rooms on Dalazak Road.

“Since the technical education caters more to the children of poor families, Dalazak Road is a good location for the institute to attract more and more such students. Also, it will resolve the issue of accessibility for girls,” he said.

The Tevta plans to shifts it offices to the institute’s current building in Hayatabad once it is vacated.

Currently, Tevta offices are located in a rented house in posh University Town at the monthly rent of Rs700,000.

“We would be able to shift the institute to the building rented on Dalazak Road for just Rs400,000 a month. We will save money and accommodate the Government Technical and Vocational Centre, Gulbahar, too, there,” said an official hinting at how the centre’s equipment would also be used by the institute.

“The GPIW is facing a shortage of equipment. It will take time to buy them,” said the Tevta MD.

He thought buying buses as requested by the institute earlier to help resolve the students’ accessibility and enrollment problems was not necessary as it was waste of money.

“Shifting the institute to area where it could attract more students is the solution,” he said.

A teacher said the Tevta was not interested in increasing enrollments, buying equipment or busses or update curriculum and instead it was only interested in shifting its office to the building the institute currently had.

She lamented that the institute had knitting machines bought in 1980s, which needed repairs again and again as new ones weren’t provided. Institute principal Jamila Gul refused to comment on the issue.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2017