KARACHI, Aug 22: Sindh Minister for Planning and Development Shoaib Ahmed Bokhari laid the foundation stone for construction of new building of Government College for Men, Nazimabad.

The new building, covering an area of 55,530.84sq-feet, would have 22 classrooms, five rooms for administrative block, seven laboratories, three museums and store. The construction of new building would cost about Rs41.744 million.

At present, the college has capacity for 2,400 students and after completion of the new building the admission capacity would enhance to 3,200. Addressing at the ceremony on Saturday evening, the minister said that 80,000 students passed matriculation last year.

However, he added, owing to dearth of colleges hardly 65,000 could be enrolled and 15,000 students remained deprived of admission in the colleges for further education.

The minister said that government had completed the construction of 2,175 educational institutions in Sindh but owing to shortage of teaching and non-teaching staff, academic activities could not be started despite the fact that an amount of Rs500 million was earmarked in 2003-04 budget for the purpose. -PPI