College with 2 rooms, 8 students, 10 faculty members!

GDC Bagh-i-Dilawar Khan presents dismal picture of education sector

Two rooms, eight students and 10 faculty members! Welcome to the Government Degree College (GDC) Bagh-i-Dilawar Khan in Shaher-e-Khaas.
Away from the hustle and bustle which dominates other colleges in the summer capital, the scene at this college is different with empty classrooms as the authorities have failed to attract students since its inception. The enrollment of students has decreased over the past several years.
“Earlier the enrollment in the college was 16 and later it was 11. Now this year, the number has dwindled to eight,” said an official wishing anonymity.
Established at the cost of Rs 11.45 crore in 2011 out of the state plan, the college has failed to attract students in past five years.
Officials in planning section of Higher Education department said the annual recurring grants for the college amounts to Rs 4 crore per year. “This is irony that such a whooping amount will be spent on the college where the enrollment has never gone above 16,” sources said.
Annually, an amount of Rs 12.24 lakh is utilized by the Higher Education Department for the nine teaching and non-teaching faculty engaged on academic arrangement in the College.
“Besides, monthly salary of the permanent faculty is above Rs 50,000 and department has appointed three permanent faculty members here. This financial implication of this college is waste of funds,” they said.
The Higher Education department annually engages five Lecturers including one Librarian and one Assistant Lecturer for the colleges. The department pays Rs 18000 per month per lecturer while as Rs 12000 is paid as monthly wages to one Assistant Lecturer engaged on academic arrangement in the college.
Despite the lower enrollment number, the College has 10 lecturers to teach. Out of them four are permanent faculty members including the in-charge Principal while the remaining six are contractual lecturers.
The strength of sanctioned posts in the college is 21 including 10 posts for teaching faculty.
Operating from the two rooms, the scene at the college campus is altogether different where Principal’s office, staff room and non-teaching staff are choked in one single room.
The classes are conducted in separate room and a veranda.
“We manage all this within this limited space. We are provided with this space only and we are making use of it,” says Tasleem Peer, Principal of the college.
She said the college failed to attract the students as they didn’t see any attraction in the college. “This college can only grow if the department will provide us separate accommodation for it,” she said, adding that department can start different courses, including skilled based in the college which will also attract the students.
According to officials in Higher Education departement, the college has been set up without caring for the parameters for its establishment after a senior National Conference leader lobbied for bringing the college to the old city area at Bagh-i-Dilawar Khan.
A building estimated at Rs 11.45 crore is under construction for the college, adjacent to Gandhi Memorial College for which an Rs 2.40 crore has been already released.
“Normal allocation of land for establishment of a college is 50 kanals, however, the land allocated for this college is only eight Kanals,” a top official said.
Given the poor performance of the college over the past many years, Minister for Education on September 8 of 2015 had ordered closure of fresh admissions in the college from the current academic session.
“But that was a verbal order. Nothing was communicated to us officially. So fresh admissions continue here,” Peer said.
Minister for Education Naeem Akhtar acknowledged that the performance of the College didn’t improve from past five years. “There is not any hope of improvement in future as well. At present we don’t see it feasible to invest such a huge amount on this college. The department didn’t abandon the college but if need arises it will be started again,” he said.
“We are closing admissions only. It is an approved project and we have acquired land for it. But it is not feasible to run it at present as its enrollment also decreased from past years. Education is all about quality which can’t be delivered in two room compartment,” Akhtar said.
“We don’t believe in Adhocism, we will come up with better option,” he added.