ISLAMABAD: Five government colleges in the capital have been operating without regular teaching and non-teaching staff for several years.

The Islamabad Model College for Girls (IMCG) I-8/3 project was approved in August 2004 to provide education to students living in areas like I-8, I-9, I-10, Margalla Town, Rawal Town and Shehzad Town. The college began operating in 2009 without regular staff and budget from the Finance Division.

Similarly, IMCG I-14/3 project was approved in 2004. Under the plan, the college building was to be established within 36 months but it took seven years to complete the building. Now, the college is running without regular staff and budget. Both projects have still not been completed despite creation of posts of staff by the Finance Division last year.

The administrations of both colleges could not get the required budget in fiscal year 2021-22 because their budget IDs were not created. If they are still not created and demand for the budget is not sent to the Finance Division, these colleges will not be able to receive any funds again.

The Planning Commission approved and recommended 91 posts of teaching and non-teaching staff for IMCG Humak but posts have not been created by the Finance Division so far because the file of the project requires review by the Establishment Division.

The cases of creation of posts of teachers of Islamabad Model College for Boys (IMCB) Sihala and IMCG Bhara Kahu were presented in the meeting of the austerity committee of the Finance Division in 2019. The college got around 55 percent posts of staff. It was decided in the meeting that the remaining posts would be created in the next fiscal year (2019-20) but Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) did not put up the case to the Finance Division for the remaining posts and budget.

A professor who teaches at Islamabad Model Postgraduate College H-8, on the condition of anonymity said, the casual and indifferent attitude of the administration of federal education setup has left many projects related to education incomplete.

When contacted, Dr Rahima Rahman, the president of Federal Government College Teachers Association (FGCTA), said the major issue at the moment is that posts of teachers have not been created.

Shortage of teachers is a matter of serious concern because no student can learn without teachers, she said, adding that principals of these colleges did not find any way out to address the situation effectively. She urged higher authorities to come forward and direct the officials concerned to complete unfinished projects.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2022