KHAR: The students of Government College of Management Sciences in Bajaur tribal district on Wednesday staged a protest demonstration against shortage of teachers in the institution.

The rally started from main gate of the college and reached the Khar-Timargara road, the main artery linking the district with other cities. The road remained closed to traffic for about two hours.

The students showed their anger over shortage of teachers and claimed that about 50 per cent of posts of teachers were lying vacant in the college, which was badly affecting their studies. They said that majority of students belonged to far-flung parts of the region.

They complained that most of the students had not been attending their classes for the last several weeks owing to unavailability of the required teachers.

The speakers said that they had raised the issue with the principal several times, but to no avail.

The students said that on the one hand the management had launched new classes and faculties in the college, on the other it failed to ensure presence of teachers on all the approved posts.

They also blamed the officials of commerce and management science and the local administration for keeping silence over the issue.

The students urged the chief minister, secretary education and deputy commissioner to take notice of the situation and order posting of teachers to the college. They threatened to hold more protests if swift action was not taken on their demand.

Meanwhile, talking to this scribe a college official confirmed shortage of teachers in the institution. He said that 18 of 30 sanctioned posts of teachers in the college were lying vacant for the last several years.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2018