SIALKOT
Recruitment of teachers and provision of basic facilities such as furniture, classrooms, toilets and potable water at all the understaffed government colleges here has become a big challenge for the government while the prolonged problems are affecting the education process, it is learnt.
The shortage of teaching staff has become a burning issue due to which the students especially females have been suffering great difficulties in getting education at the 24 boys and girls government colleges including five commerce colleges in Sialkot district for long.
At these colleges, the strength of female students is much high than that of the male students and the difference widens every academic year. Many years have passed but these issues still persist which is an ample proof of the negligence of local elected representatives. On the other side, there has been no increase in the strength of teaching staff in these colleges for several years due to which the study process has been affected. The total number of the students studying in all the 24 government colleges is 32,657 out of which 13,807 are boys and 17,239 girls. The number of students in government commerce colleges is 339 out of which 177 are girls.
Govt Murray College Sialkot has 5,721 students while there are 2,627 students at Govt Jinnah Islamia College Sialkot, 1,247 at Govt Allama Iqbal Postgraduate College, 2,000 at Govt Boys Degree College Daska, 810 at Govt Degree College Pasrur, 1,090 at Govt Islamia Degree College Sambrial, 70 at Govt Islamia Inter College Mitraanwali-Daska, 332 at Govt Degree College Chawinda and 116 students at Govt Degree College Sokan Wind.
The total number of girl students is 17,239. The number of girls is 5,005 at Govt College Women University Sialkot, 3,940 at Govt Allama Iqbal College for Women Sialkot, 908 at Govt College for Women Hajipura, 1,887 at Govt Girls Degree College Pasrur, 3,200 at Govt Postgraduate College for Women Daska, 1,628 at Govt Girls Degree College Sambrial, 259 at Govt Girls Degree College Bhopalwala, 348 at Govt Girls Degree College Qila Kalarwala, 248 at Govt Girls Degree College Kapoorwali. However and 379 girl students are studying at Govt Girls Commerce College Sialkot. The number of the students studying at boys’ commerce colleges in Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial and Pasrur is 1,098.
At newly established Govt Degree College Sokan Wind, Pasrur Tehsil, there are 116 students while 18 are at Govt Girls Degree College Chawinda, Pasrur.
On the other side, the number of total sanctioned posts of teachers is 97 for Govt Murray College Sialkot where only 77 teachers are available and 35 at Govt Allama Iqbal Postgraduate College Sialkot against 44 posts. The total sanctioned posts for Govt Jinnah Islamia Degree College Sialkot are 81 while 54 are available, 44 teachers instead of 54 teachers’ posts in Govt Boys Degree College Daska, 16 at Govt Boys Degree Pasrur against 23 posts and 24 at Govt Islamia Degrees College Sambrial against 31 posts. Only 10 students were teaching against the 16 vacant posts of teachers at Govt Boys Inter College Mitraanwali-Daska.
Govt Girls Degree College Hajipura-Sialkot has 23 teachers against the 29 approved posts of the teachers, 29 teachers are teaching against 50 seats at Govt Postgraduate College for Women Daska and Govt Girls Degree College Pasrur has only 13 teachers against t 25 posts. There are 75 teachers against 106 posts at Govt Postgraduate College for Women Sialkot and Govt Women College University Sialkot. Each five teachers teach at Govt Girls Degree College Bhopalwala and Govt Girls Degree College Qila Kalarwala, as there were 11 seats in each college.
There are 45 teachers at Govt. College of Commerce at Sialkot against the total 57 sanctioned posts, 17 teachers at Govt Commerce College for Women Sialkot against 24 posts, 18 teachers against 24 seats at Govt Institute of Commerce Sialkot, 16 at Govt College of Commerce at Daska against 20 seats and 15 teachers against 19 posts at Govt. College of Commerce Pasrur.
The Punjab government has already approved a plan of establishing four women colleges in Sialkot district including Govt Shehbaz Sharif Girls Degree College Jaamkey Cheema with an estimated cost of Rs73.111 million, Govt Girls Degree College Dhalleywali-Head Marala with Rs120.284 million, Govt Nawaz Sharif Girls Degree College Pasrur Road with Rs24.313 million and Govt Girls Degree College Chobara-Pasrur with Rs87.842 million.
When contacted, MPAs Manshaullah Butt and Muhammad Ikram said that the provincial government was fully aware of the problems being faced by the government colleges in Sialkot district. They said that the government was making effective measures to ensure early solution to these problems.