KARACHI, Oct 31: About 350 students, placed for admission to different faculties at the newly-established Government Degree Boys College, Jungle Shah, Keamari, have still been kept waiting for a final decision about the admissions and commencement of classes due to the continued occupation of the college building by the rangers personnel.

According to the City government sources, the Abdullah Shah Ghazi Rangers, 92 Wing Main had repeatedly held out the assurance that the building would be vacated as soon as the admission process would begin.

A senior official associated with the college project said that the rangers were not fulfilling their commitment and their one-and-a-half year occupation had even delayed the finishing touches to be given to the newly-built building.

The college building, an over Rs25 million project on Humayun Muhammad Khan Road, off M. A. Jinnah Road, in Keamari area, was entirely under the use of the rangers personnel till Thursday and the students, who had frequently been visiting the premises with a hope to see it vacated, had to return with frustration. There were no indications of the rangers’ intention to leave in near future.

The Education department, under the directives of the city government, has already invited applications for admissions to first year classes at the eight newly-established colleges in the city. The college in Jungle Shah, Keamari is one of them.

A good number of students, residents of Keamari, Tower and its adjacent colonies and villages, and other parts of the city, had submitted their applications and 200 of them were placed for admission to Science group by Sept 23. Another 150 students were placed for Commerce and Humanities groups by Oct 5.

Theory and practical classes at all other colleges have already begun but the Jungle Shah College has yet to complete the admission procedure due to the rangers’ occupation.

The Board of Intermediate Education has fixed Nov 2 as the last date for the enrolment of students admitted to the first year Humanities classes. Enrolment date for other faculties with a normal fee has already elapsed, a source in a city college revealed.

One of the affected students moaned that the situation might cause the entire batch a loss of one precious academic year. If anyhow saved, he added, they could not expect an up to the mark teaching.

A senior Education official pointed out that the admission process was announced on the basis of the rangers’ commitment that they would vacate the college premises as and when required for academic purposes.

“Some three months back, when we contacted the rangers’ senior officer at the college premises, he had promised that they would leave as soon as the admissions started at the college,” he added.

The College Admission Committee, in a recent meeting, had acknowledged that a senior official at the Sindh governor’s secretariat had assured the committee that the rangers would vacate the college building by Oct 22.

Meanwhile, students have been staging protest demonstrations against the concerned authorities’ indifferent attitude towards their academic loss.

It is learnt that the furniture and laboratory equipment procured for the college over the last several years have been dumped at some other college building and facing destruction. The Education officials for some time had been trying in vain to move the furniture and equipment. However, it was only on Thursday when they were able to bring a few dual desks and that, too, at their own risk.

Sources believe that the incharge principal and teachers, deputed at the college and directed to report to their duties, don’t have courage to do so due to the fear of an altercation with the rangers.

However, the District Officer Education (Colleges), Prof Mujeeb Feroze, told Dawn on Thursday that the issue was once again taken up with the City Nazim with some signs of a positive result.

He said that 10 teachers and their incharge, detailed for the new college, would turn up on Saturday (Nov 2) and start the admission process. He, however, could not held out the assurance that the college building would be vacated and handed over to the college staff.

Sources hinted that either the rangers would partially vacate the college premises or the education department would have to shift the Jungle Shah College students to some other already crowded college.