Islamia College drowning in turmoil

Facile decision to relocate college triggered inaccessibility of campus facilities, drop in enrolment

KARACHI:

For students of any educational institution, having some degree of familiarity with their campus is crucial for them to fully utilize the facilities yet for thousands of students enrolled at the Islamia College, the ill-planned shifting of administrative and academic facilities to a new location, has not only offset the conduct of classes but has also degraded the quality of the student body.

Established in 1962 near the Quaid’s Mausoleum, the Islamia College, has undergone several changes during the past few decades, however the most recent transfer of the campus from the Islamia Complex to North Karachi in December 2022, has deeply downgraded the quality of education at the classical academic institution.

Despite the passing of almost a year, the new campus has witnessed a stark drop in the rate of enrolment and teacher attendance, due to the negligence and carelessness of the College Education Department of the Sindh government, which was unable to restore the furniture and paraphernalia of several fundamental campus facilities like classrooms, laboratories and libraries.

“In the old library, books were kept in 34 boxes however, only nine boxes could be brought to the new campus, due to which there is a severe shortage of books in the library, which is now established is a small classroom,” revealed the library in-charge at the Islamia College.

According to an on-ground assessment by the Express Tribune, the new campus of the Islamia College, apart from shrinking the library, has also reduced the number of many laboratories like the microbiology and biochemistry labs from 17 to 4 in the new building, due to the unavailability of space. Furthermore, even the labs that do exist, lack the required scientific paraphernalia like autoclaves and incubators, while the grand zoology museum established in the previous complex is now located in a single corridor, showcasing only 6 of the original 24 artefacts.

“In the beginning, the college even lacked furniture and water for students, teachers, and staff to utilize. While, 30 desks have been arranged and water is accessible, most classrooms are still deserted and locked because students and teachers rarely visit the campus,” disclosed Professor Ali Raza Shar.

“Due to this current state of affairs, a 70 to 80 per cent drop has been observed in the rate of admissions at the college this year. Due to this drop, we had to allow admission to students with low grades like C’s, D’s and E’s, who would otherwise not have qualified for a place,” revealed Naseem Haider, Principal at the Islamia College.

Moreover, sources have also revealed that many old students have stopped coming to the college since the new campus is almost 20km away from the old location, causing an inconvenience to students who cannot afford the extra travel expenditure.

Speaking to the Express Tribune on the matter, Regional Director of Colleges, Professor Sulaiman Siyal said, “The college had to be moved due to a court order. This has resulted in a decrease in the rate of admissions and many other unfavorable conditions. We have appealed to the court on this matter and hope to regain the college premises back.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2023.