RAWALPINDI, Feb 23: Two women postgraduate colleges in the city have stopped MA Urdu classes in the absence of sufficient number of students, it has been learnt.

According to information gathered by this reporter, there are five postgraduate colleges in Rawalpindi - three for boys and two for women affiliated with the University of Punjab - offering master’s classes in different subjects.

The Postgraduate College for Women Satellite Town and Viqarunnisa Postgraduate College for Women are no longer offering specialisation in Urdu. The main reason for the decrease in the number of admission is that students are seeking job-oriented subjects to specialise in.

Government Asghar Mall College for Boys is offering master’s programme in Urdu, but there is only one student in MA previous and five in the final year. In the year 2005, the number was respectively three and four.

Government Gordon College for Boys has never offered specialisation in Urdu.

“It has not been the case in past,” said a faculty member of Asghar Mall College. It is in the recent years that the youth in the country has lost interest in their national language and is looking for technical and job-oriented education. In Rawalpindi, more and more students desiring to learn Urdu literature go to universities in Islamabad where better facilities and learning atmosphere is available, he added.

The diminishing interest of the students in Urdu has many reasons, said Zahid Naveed, head of the Urdu department at the Gordon College. First, specialisation in Urdu offers little job opportunities. Now more attention is laid on information technology and business-related subjects that promise brighter future for the youth, he maintained.

“Yet another reason for the decrease is that students do not opt for Urdu at the graduation level, a prerequisite set by the Punjab University for admission to MA. When Urdu is offered as an optional subject it becomes no one’s option,” he sarcastically remarked.

Besides, shortage of teaching staff was also responsible for the closure of Urdu classes. A source in the office of the district officer colleges said no induction had been made in BPS- 17 for the last many years while serving lecturers waiting for promotion have also not been upgraded. It is not only Urdu but other MA classes are also facing closure due to dearth of teachers and abundance of private universities offering job- oriented degrees, he added.

A female professor of Urdu said the youth had lost interest in humanities. Citing the possible effects of studying only mundane subjects, she said materialism and subsequent frustration were the direct outcome of the subjects which were devoid of human aspect.

The government should give more attention to humanities if a balanced and tolerant society was to be promoted. To invoke the interest of the youth in Urdu, its syllabus should not only be made interesting but it should also secure the future of the student, she observed.