TAXILA: An intermediate college established in the late 1970s in a remote area of Attock is functioning without teaching and non-teaching staff except the principal who is looking after it.

The Government Intermediate College in Chhab area of Jand in the district of Attock speaks volumes about the seriousness of successive governments towards provision of facilities in educational institutions.

The institute caters to students of Chaab, Narrah Kanjoor and four union councils of the Jand tehsil.

The approval for the establishment of the college was given in 1976 and in 1978 academic activities were initiated at a government high school of the area. Later, the locals donated four kanals on which the college building was constructed in 1990.

The academic block consists of six classrooms, three laboratories for Biology, Physics and Chemistry besides two multipurpose halls and one library.

The higher education department gave approval for posting of 14 teaching faculty and four non-teaching staff, including two clerks and two laboratory attendants.

In 1990, the staff was appointed and posted at the college but the 14 faculty members and four non-teaching staff got themselves transferred to cities. Since then all the posts are vacant in the college.

At present, only the principal is looking after the institution who also performs duty as a clerk and lecturer for 29 enrolled students - 11 in the first year and 18 in the second year.

As there is no science subject faculty available, the college offers admission only in arts subjects and those who want to get education in science have to travel to nearby cities, especially Attock.

Due to unavailability of teaching staff, the admission and enrollment in the college dropped.

The college has a residential block for the staff but one portion of it was declared “semi-dangerous” by the building department in 1999 due to lack of proper maintenance. But even after 20 years no step has been taken for its repair.

The sewerage system of the building has also collapsed while the administration block, classrooms, laboratories and library need urgent maintenance.

Professor Shoukat Khattak, the principal of the college, said the higher education department had been informed about the issues in the college. A report on missing facilities and paucity of teaching and non-teaching staff was also submitted to the department as well as deputy commissioner but so far no steps have been taken, he said.

When contacted, Director Colleges Usman Siddiqui said the required number of students was not enrolled in the college. He said from time to time the higher education department posted teaching and non-teaching staff to the college but they got themselves transferred to cities using political connections.

He said as the educated population of the area had shifted to major cities, even college teaching interns were not available to teach subjects such as English.

Mr Siddiqui said the education department had taken the initiate of starting FSc classes by hiring interns but due to the remoteness of the area no intern was willing to go there.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2019