Model of decline and decay: 60 years on, Multan college lies in tatters

Classrooms have gaping holes in the ceilings and there are cracks in the walls

MULTAN: The Government Post Graduate College Civil Lines, which is located in the centre of the city, is buckling under problems which keep on piling up. The college has recently been facing shortage of teachers and negligence by authorities concerned. The tall claims made by the government regarding improvisation of infrastructure in government institutions appear to have fallen flat, especially at Government Post Graduate College Civil Lines which is in a dilapidated condition.

The college, which was established around 60 years ago, lacks required classrooms to accommodate 1,500 students. Not one classroom is clean and safe. The students are forced to study in deplorable conditions as the college even lacks basic facilities. However, their woes are not limited to the lack of basic facilities, the classrooms where the students sit have gaping holes in the ceilings and there are cracks in the walls.





The appearance of these rooms is a far cry from what a classroom looks like. Rather they appear like cells for prisoners. For the college staff, problems are aplenty as well.

In 2014, Government College of Commerce was temporarily shifted in one block of Government Post Graduate College Civil Lines but now after the passage of four years and renovation of the building, the college has not been shifted back.

The college has a small number of teachers as most of them have been transferred to different colleges. Keeping in view the shortage of teachers, the principal of the college was adamant not to relieve them. However, Director Colleges Syed Haider Abbas Gardaizi transferred them, while exercising his authority over the matter which has badly affected the schedule of classes and academic matters.

What officials say?

When The Express Tribune contacted Abbas Gardaizi to take his views on the matter, he said, “The higher education department secretary ordered the transfer of those professors and it was my duty to ensure the transfer as directed by the higher authorities.” He added, “The shortage of teachers in colleges can be removed by appointment of college teacher interns (CTIs). It is the duty of college principal to manage proper faculty.”

However, even after the appointment of CTIs, the college is still facing lack of teachers.





The professors, who teach Urdu, Mathematics, commerce and Arabic subjects, are overburdened due to the non-availability of required number of teachers. For instance, there are only two professors for teaching Urdu in various programmes from intermediate to masters level. Urdu is a compulsory subject in various disciplines such as intermediate, BS journalism and in various other programmes.

While speaking to The Express Tribune, Dr Ibrarul Islam, timetable in charge of the college said, “If any one of these two teachers goes on leave, the whole schedule of classes gets disturbed and ultimately the students have to bear the loss.”

Similarly, he said in various other disciplines, the adequate number of teachers for compulsory as well as specialised subjects, are not available.

He added, “In Arabic department, there is only one teacher and now after the shortage, the professors of Persian are teaching Arabic.”

According to the rule of higher education department, a professor is bound to teach a maximum four classes of forty minutes each, every day. But due to the shortage of faculty, professors are overburdened and teach six to eight classes per day.

Government Post Graduate College Civil Lines Principal Baqar Jafri told The Express Tribune that professors are not being appointed on vacant seats in various disciplines. “If we demand appointment of two lecturers from the higher authorities, we only got approval of one,” he lamented.

Students’ woes

The students also expressed reservations over the lack of infrastructure and poor management of the college.

Irfan, a student of BS Mass Communication, told The Express Tribune, “Due to the shortage of classrooms, classes are being held in laboratories, libraries and in the rooms of clerical staff.” He said, “We have no permanent classrooms, sometimes our teachers have to take classes in the ground.”

Shehzad, a student of intermediate said, “Classrooms have no doors. Glass panes of the windows had been broken since ages and no one has bothered to replace them.  He maintained, “Even the chairs of teachers and students are broken.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 1^st, 2017.