Daily Times

KARACHI: The DJ Government Science College, constructed since 1882 and one of the prestigious educational institutes of Sindh, is losing its academic importance for educational community because the college’s administration is burdened by some unsolvable issues for last several years, Daily Times has learnt.

Although, the present Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah had also studied in the DJ Science College but since a long time Sindh government has failed to reconcile chronic issues of the college faced by its administration. Beside deficient basic facilities and executive difficulties, even some buildings of the college have been occupied by irrelevant high profile and influential officers of provincial government.

The geology department of the college does not have classrooms for the enrolled students despite two classrooms of the department being used for commercial activities for four years. On the verbal orders of Director General Colleges Prof Nasir Ansar, the former principal of the college Dr Arshad had handed over half of the portion of the geology department to additional secretary of the Sindh education department, Rehan Iqbal Baloch in early 2013.

“Instead of deploying faculty members in geology department, officers of the Education and Literacy Department have occupied its building with the help of DG”, Dr Arshad said, adding that there was no teacher for teaching geology in the college therefore we have decided to windup the study program in the department of geology since 2012.

Earlier in 2017, Baloch had been transferred and posted as additional secretary in Health Department by Sindh government but his Personal Assistant Zahoor Qazi is still using the college’s rooms for commercial proposes. “They are using the occupied rooms as warehouse for the furniture business and supply point for the traders” Dr Arshad informed.

However, the study program of geology has been taken up again in 2016 by the college’s administration , 95 students of part I and part II have also been enrolled but for those students of both classes only one classroom is available to attend their classes. Despite that the geology department of DJ Government Science College is only the college-based operated department across Sindh.

“We have repeatedly approached to the DG colleges but he is powerless regarding the vacation of occupied portion of the college”, principal of the college, Prof Shehzad Muslim Khan said, adding that the students need at least two classrooms but DG administration is making excuses regarding vacation of rooms.

In addition, office of the Sindh Text Book Board (STBB) was also been accommodated in the BCS block of DJ Government Science College since 2012. The office of STBB was located near Clifton in the building of Sindh Education Foundation which was demolished to renovate and reconstruct, in the tenure of former Sindh education minister Pir Mazharul Haq. However, five years have been passed but the STBB officials haven’t shifted their offices from the college’s premises.

“More than 200 students of Bachelor of Computer Science have been accommodated in the other departments which disturb the studies due the large number of enrolled students” Khan pointed out, “STBB is using our college’s premises for the last 5 years but the irony is that the Schools Education Department (SED) in addition has also set up some offices for the staff of Biometric Verification System”.

The SED’s employees visit the college’s premises from all over Sindh unless their issues are to be resolved and because of their movement, students are being disturbed. “Sometimes SED’s employees who come from other parts of the province to get their problems resolved , they enter the classes for asking official address of the Biometric Verification System”, Yasir Hamid, a student of the college told Daily Times.

In addition, there is no clean drinking water in DJ Government Science College for last ten years. The students are forced to buy water for the extinguishment of their thirst while the administration has failed to arrange water-coolers and clean drinking water for the students. “We can’t buy water for 3000 enrolled students, we don’t have that much funds,” principal of the college informed, adding that Karachi Water Sewerage Board (KWSB) sends its utility bills every month but the board is unable to provide clean water and the pipeline have been rusted since many years ago.

He further informed that works and services (Education Department) had initiated the construction of MSc block in 2005 but the contractor, Yunis Gondal did not complete its work. “The uncompleted work produces dust and sometimes it’s become very hard for our students to study outside the classes”. Same situation also existed in the Abdul Qadir Khan block because its ground floor and gymnasium have been demolished since 1998 but still await reconstruction.

Published in Daily Times, June 21st, 2017.