Over 100 colleges await principals

Political instability in Punjab blamed for delay

LAHORE:

The Punjab Higher Education Department has failed to appoint permanent principals of 120 colleges in the province, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The posts have reportedly been lying vacant for the past six months and teachers have been awaiting the process to fill them.

A teacher said several administrative as well as academic activities were affected because of the absence of the principal of a college.

A number of colleges operating without principal are in Lahore division. Most of the posts fell vacant after the principals retired or were promoted to higher posts in the department.

The higher education department has given additional charge of principal to teachers till the appointments.

However, the procedure of the appointment of the principals has not moved ahead in several months.

The teachers allege that the department's officials lack interest in resolving the issue related to the students of the colleges.

"Such colleges where regular principals are not serving are facing problems in managing academic affairs.

In addition to remote areas, a number of such colleges are in Lahore division.

They include the Queen Marry College, Ravi Road College and Model Town Commerce College," a senior official of Punjab Higher Education Department said.

He said the teachers and students were upset over finding the posts vacant after the institutions reopened following the summer vacations.

The official of the provincial education department said there had also been complaints about the teachers teaching at private colleges and academies rather than focusing on their job.

Several colleges in the city also often face problems because of student groups, including MAO College, Science College Wahdat Road, Dyal Singh College and Islamia College Railway Road.

The absence of principals is causing problems in maintaining discipline among the students as well as teachers, the official said.

He said the attention of the chief minister was required to take early steps to streamline the colleges affairs.

Retirements due

More principals are retiring from their jobs in the coming weeks and the problem may aggravate, he pointed out.

"The posts of principal are vacant in many colleges and political instability may be the main reason for the delay in filling them," said Punjab Professor and College Teaches Association president Tariq Kaleem.

However, the representative of teachers said the routine educational activities were going on smoothly in the colleges.

A college professor said, "There are administrative crises in colleges which do not have regular principals."

She said the bureaucrats usually did not take seriously the college education sector.

"However, the future of thousands of students depends upon the government college sector and the Punjab government should pay due attention to it," the college professor added.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 21^st, 2022.