MIANWALI, Feb 11: The main cause of Mianwali district’s backwardness is the neglect of education. Since independence, there has been a nominal increase in institutions above the middle school level. The lower-grade schools have been established to the extent of erecting buildings, but quality education is not being imparted in many such institutions. That is why, ghost schools in the district have been reported.

The existing educational institutions are insufficiently staffed and 65 out of 86 high schools and four colleges for male and female students in the district are reportedly without headmasters and principals.

There are four degree and two inter colleges for male and female students in tehsils Isakhel, Piplan and Mianwali. Of them four are without principals while there is a shortage of 65 teachers and many lower grade staff in them. Currently, there are two degree colleges having post graduate classes, one for boys and one for girls, at the district headquarters.

The Govt Post-Graduate College for Boys, Mianwali, is short of seven associate professors, three assistant professors and five lecturers for subjects like English, chemistry, political science, geography, Persian, education, political science, physics, statistics, social work, physical education, library science. Class-IV staff and lab attendants are also much below the required strength. It is learnt that the shortage has not been made up despite repeated requests by the college administration. The college hostel is without a warden and a mess. Boarders are obliged to dine at the near-by police lines mess. Boarders attend the classes without breakfast because it is not served at the police mess. The college lawns, playgrounds and botanical gardens present a deserted look due to shortage of lower staff.

The position of Govt Degree College for Women, Mianwali, is no better. The college needs one associate professor, seven assistant professors and four lecturers for subjects of mathematics, Urdu, English, home economics, psychology, physics, chemistry and zoology against sanctioned posts.

The Degree College for Boys at Isakhel is without a principal since long. There is shortage of an associate professor, four assistant professors and four lecturers for English, Arabic, physics, chemistry, mathematics, library science and economics. The college hostel is not functional; laboratories exist only in name and there are no lawns or playgrounds. The college also lacks sport and extra-curricular activities.

The Govt Girls Inter-College, Isakhel, is a unique institution in Pakistan in that it has only one lecturer to look after the academic as well as the administrative side of the institution. The college needs a regular principal and other staff for the disciplines of English, Urdu, education, history, home economics, Islamiat, chemistry, physics, biology and library science. It is housed in a rented building when there are more than 200 students in the college, which depicts the desire for education of the female students and their parents. The people’s representatives are supposed to highlight the dismal condition of educational facilities at the tehsil headquarters but they appear quite oblivious to this basic need of their constituency.

Tehsil Piplan has Govt. Degree College for Boys which is also without a principal and an associate professor of Arabic, besides assistant professors of English, physics, mathematics, economics and lecturers in mathematics, economics, political science, English and library science and a librarian. The college hostel is being used for storing firewood. There are no sports or other extra-curricular activities in the college. It has more than 700 students on its rolls and its administration is collecting Rs 30 per student in the name of `mosque fund’.

Likewise, Girls Inter College, Piplan, is without a principal and is being run by only two female teachers, although the institution offers subjects like English, Urdu, maths, chemistry, physics, biology, economics, etc. The college has its own building but it is not maintained properly. The college has nearly 300 students on its rolls. It is strange how such a large number of students are being taught by two teachers and how they can go through their annual exams.

It is learnt that the staff of all colleges in the district are always short because whosoever is transferred to these institutions, never joins his new assignment and soon gets himself re-transferred because of his political clout.