LARKANA: The future of Govt Elementary College of Education (Women), Larkana, hangs in the balance as Sindh government intends to establish the Larkana campus of the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto University of Law, Karachi, on the college premises.

The law university’s Vice Chancellor retired Justice Dr Rana M. Shamim had on Sept 7, 2020 visited the elementary college along with Prof Syed Ghulam Asghar apparently to look into probability of setting up the proposed campus on its premises, sources in the Bureau of Curriculum said on Tuesday.

The department of universities and boards in a letter (dated Nov 12, 2020) to the school education and literacy department’s secretary had asked for acquisition of the building of the elementary college.

The section officer, Kamal Ahmed, referring to the directives issued through the letter, had urged the secretary to consider the university’s request in public interest.

This communication, interestingly, referred to another letter (dated Oct 22, 2020) from the acting registrar of the university which was addressed to the department but the same was not attached to the fresh communication, sources privy to the issue said.

Subsequently, the bureau had sought comments from the head of the elementary college.

Plan will affect teaching, training process at the college-cum-school, say protesters

In this connection, the education secretary and the head of the bureau are likely to visit the college in a couple days to vet the proposal, according to the sources.

Teachers, staff and students disturbed

This college, keeping in view the demand of the area and with the aim of providing training to teachers in the region, was established on June 1, 1881. Initially, it offered courses of PTC and CT and since 2014, it has been offering associate degree in education (ADE). So far, four ADE batches have passed out from this college and they are currently serving in different institutions in the province.

This is the only college in Larkana region to cater to the training needs of women teachers in this sector, the sources said.

The move to convert the college building to a campus of the law university has sent a wave of resentment among teachers and staff members, as well as students, of the elementary college. They fear that if the college building was handed over to the management of the law university, it would affect the training process, flow of funds and sponsorships from Unicef, USAID and other donor agencies. They do not have any idea in the present scenario as to where the training would be undertaken and what would be the fate of the college faculty and other staff members.

The faculty has expressed its concern over the plan to hand over the building to the university. It believes that the development would have a drastic impact on women’s education and might halt the scholarships pouring in from donor agencies for the trainee teachers.

Students, parents hold protest

Meanwhile, students of the college and their parents have apprehended closure of the elementary college. They held a demonstration outside the local press club on Tuesday. Holding placards and raising slogans against the move, they criticised the plan to establish the law university’s campus on the college’s premises.

Urosa Brohi, Reema, Mrs Ali, Mustaque Memon, Ayaz Magsi and others led the protest demonstration.

At present, more than 150 female students are enrolled in different courses at the college. Also, primary and middle schools are functioning on the college premises where poor students of the area get education. Trainer teachers also deliver their lectures in the schools.

The protesters fear that under the unannounced plan, the women college might be merged with the elementary college for male students. They pointed out that already, the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Law College was functioning in the new college building. Instead of boosting academic activities and upgrading that college, the campus of Karachi’s law university was being established there, and that too at the cost of the women college which was feared to be closed, they said. The protesters said that women teachers and students would also feel uneasy at the college for male students.

They appealed to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and the authorities concerned to reverse the decision.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2021