LANDI KOTAL, April 10: Colleges in the Khyber Agency are faced with a host of problems like shortage of teaching staff, seats, accommodation, transport, and laboratory equipment.

The two degree colleges in Landi Kotal and Bara, and one intermediate college for girls in Landi Kotal are without the required number of teaching staff.

The political administration recruited a few lecturers at their own expense, because the permanent staff were usually absent.

Government Degree College Landi Kotal was started in 1975 with 26 lecturers. But over the years, the number has been reduced to 16.

The principal of the college told Dawn that the education department had provided a chemistry professor to fill the vacancy of a Pushto lecturer.

The president of Landi Kotal college students union Fazal Ghani alleged that the government had allocated a sum of Rs2.5 million for maintenance and another Rs700,000 for a tube well; but no work has been done on the building.

When Landi Kotal College was started there were 160 seats for students. Ironically, not a single seat was added during the last 28 years.

Mr Ghani demanded of the government to increase the number of seats to 350, upgrade the college to the post-graduate level and appoint competent staff.

The girls too have their own problems. The college has been without Physics, History and English teachers for a long time. The laboratory is ill-equipments and they have to use the boys’ lab.

The principal complained about the accommodation and transport problems faced by the teaching staff. Some of the teachers live in classrooms and others have occupied the two living quarters.

Students of Bara Degree College complained about the lack of educational facilities in their college and the president of the union accused the education department officials of turning a blind eye to their problems, specially the appointment of staff.

Musharraf Khan Afridi, president student union said that the college library was without books and science labs ill-equipped.