GUJRAT: The fate of four city colleges, including three for women, hangs in the balance since the Punjab Higher Education Department (HED) took over their administrative control.

Official sources say there is no teaching and administrative staff available to run the academic and management of these institutions at a time when fresh intermediate admissions are due to commence after the announcement of metric results.

The colleges include government colleges for women at Fawara Chowk, Railway Road and Marghzar Colony and Government Science College for Boys, GT Road.

These colleges have earlier been the constituent colleges of the University of Gujrat, known as the city campuses (of the UoG) until a few months ago.

These campuses were earlier part of UoG

Previously, the teaching and administrative staff were recruited and appointed by the UoG on a contract and regular basis.

Their staff is now being treated as surplus without any task or duty as neither the UoG nor the HED has shown any interest towards the utilisation of the staff recruited during the last eight to 10 years, says an official in the local administration.

Similarly, he said the elements who had previously strived to handing over the administrative control of these colleges to the HED, were also keeping mum over the poor stateof affairs, putting the career of hundreds of students at stake.

The parents and students have also expressed concern over the situation which, according to them, may force them to seek admission to private colleges or suspend further studies due to lack of financial resources.

Currently, the colleges have principals and one or two clerical staff who are looking after these institutions on an additional and temporary charge basis.

A senior academician told Dawn that the admission to first-year classes in these colleges as well as the commencement of the academic activities of second year might face delay due to the apathy of the concerned authorities in the Punjab government.

However, he said that the HED could immediately transfer the staff from other districts to these colleges in Gujrat to ensure the continuity of the academic activities.

Gujrat Deputy Commissioner Safdar Virk said the issue was brought into his notice by the parents and teachers around a month ago.

He said he had forwarded the matter to HED secretary for the resolution of the issues since matter was of important nature.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2023