KARACHI, Feb 9: On an average there is one computer for every 30 students of second year in city colleges, according to a survey conducted by a teachers’ body.

Apparently, this situation could be termed satisfactory as far as practical education of information technology was concerned, a college teacher commented, but he hastened to add there were colleges with 90-300 students where there were only 3-6 computers.

Figures for availability of computers for IT education at the Intermediate level in city colleges were collected by the Sindh Professors and Lecturers’ Association recently. According to the survey, nine colleges with enrolment in second year were without any computer.

Against a total enrolled strength of 93,398 students of first and second year classes, in all there are 1,382 computers in 93 colleges. These colleges include the five newly set up colleges.

In the matter of availability of computer, Malir Degree Government College (Evening) fares the worst. With 55 students in first year and another 35 in second year, there is only one computer at the college. The student-computer ratio comes to 1:90.

Colleges with 30 or more computers are Landhi Korangi Government College-6, Government College of Commerce and Economics (E), Khursheed Government College for Women, Malir Cantt Government Degree College, Abdullah Government College for Women, PECHS Government College for Women, Government Boys and Girls College, Stadium Road.

A relatively good student-computer ratio was found at City Government College, Moosa Colony (11), Government Boys and Girls College, Stadium Road (17), Government College of Commerce and Economics (20), Malir Cantt Government Degree College (22) and Superior Commerce College-Evening (25).

There are 40 colleges which have 15 or more computers for first and second years students.

A SPLA leader said the student-computer ratio was not satisfactory in many of the colleges, so IT theory and practical education could not be imparted to the first and second year on the same day.

At S. M. Arts and Commerce College there are four computers for 733 students of first and second year. At Government College for Women, Block M, North Nazimabad, there are 11 computers for 875 second year and 978 first year students.

Officials in the provincial education department said the immediate concern was to prepare second year students for the HSC annual examinations, and the target had very much been achieved.

They claimed that apart from the newly-established colleges, there were a few colleges with small enrolment which had been allowed to get the practical part of the IT subject education from the nearer college for examination purposes.