RAWALPINDI, Aug 11: About eight women colleges were heading towards closure following expiry of the contracts of their teaching and administration staff, who had been working for the last four years, this month.

These colleges were established for a two-year period in 1998-99 during Nawaz Sharif’s second term. More than 200 female lecturers and about 100 administrative staff were appointed on contract basis for a period of three years.

Later, these lecturers were given one-year extension in contract which ends August 31.

The lecturers and other staffers are concerned about their future because only days are left and as yet their contract had not been renewed.

If their contract were not renewed till August 31, all the eight colleges are likely to be closed down.

This will affect about 10,000 students in the poor and over-populated localities like Muslim Town, Mohanpura and several dhokes.

The affected colleges are as follows: Government Degree College for Girls Muslim Town, Government Degree College for Girls B-Block, Government Degree College for Girls F-Block, Government Degree College for Girls Mohanpura, Government Degree College for Girls Mohanpura, Government Degree College for Girls Zafrul Haq Road, Government Degree College for Girls Dhoke Rata, Government Degree College for Girls Dhoke Hassu and Government Degree College for Girls Dhoke Illahi Baksh.

Almost all of these lecturers are not eligible to apply for any other job. Our careers would be destroyed if our services were not regularized or our contracts were not extended, a lecturer remarked.

These lecturers were to be tested within three years of their appointment by the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) and their employment regularized, if successful. But after four years of service their fate is still undecided.

Ironically, the PPSC examined and selected a few of the women lecturers about a year back but they were still awaiting appointment.

The Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association had also expressed concern over the delay in renewing the contract of more than 200 lecturers. Union leaders have stepped up efforts to take up the issue with the authorities.

They have informed the district Nazim of the seriousness of the situation and demanded early renewal of contracts.