KARACHI, Dec 15: The Government Abdul Hamid Badayuni College, the only government-run degree college in Orangi Town, has become an example of authorities’ neglect, as it is facing acute shortage of faculty and furniture, besides building maintenance funds.

According to the students of the college, owing to the absence of any boundary wall around it, the college has become an open place for everybody, especially the children, who play cricket there and allegedly harm the college building and property.

The students alleged that these outsiders, who had not left any widow, door and furniture of the college intact, had ruined college’s property and building, which now looks more like a haunted place than an education institution.

Students and some faculty members said that owing to unavailability of staff, there was no system of guarding the college, making the college building a favourite haunt for the gangs of drug addicts

“Nothing has been left in the Botany and Zoology laboratories of the college by these drug addicts and other people, who move freely in the college premises as there is no guard to protect the building and its property”, Muhammad Asif Iqbal, a student, complained.

Besides dilapidated condition of the college building and absence of teaching equipment, college is facing acute shortage of subject teachers, which keeps majority of the students away from classes, a college faculty member lamented.

“Many of the teachers posted at this institute get themselves transferred to other colleges and institutions after seeing that nobody cares about improving the condition of this college,” he said, adding that despite tall claims and pledges by the authorities, nothing was done for provision of funds and staff at the college.

However, according to him, the college administration took various steps despite resource constraints, to improve standard and quality of education, besides attendance and punctuality among the staff and students, during the last academic session. Owing to these steps, the students had once again started attending classes, he claimed.

On the other hand, the college students claimed that they were compelled to attend various tuition centres to complete their courses, as classes were not being held at the institution due to paucity of faculty and equipment at science labs.

They further alleged that MNAs and MPAs elected from the area, besides city’s Education authorities, pledged on several occasions, during their visits to the college, that conditions would be improved and teachers’ shortage would be overcome by transferring teachers from other colleges, but nothing was done.

Students accused the college administration of not being even able to provide drinking water and washroom facility to the students and added that washrooms had also been ruined by the outsiders, especially the drug addicts.—PPI