REGULAR education in the much renowned Govt. Titumir College in the city is in shamble as classes of different departments could not be held regularly due to acute shortage of classrooms. A vernacular daily on Saturday reported the horrible scenario of the college where around 50,000 students are now enrolled under different departments. In terms of students number the college is biggest now where the ratio between teachers and students is surprisingly uneven at 1:246, though the University Grants Commission (UGC) stated that the ratio in the public colleges should be 1:19. The college where 22 honours programmes and 19 Master courses are offered have only 43 classrooms including the seminar rooms. Besides, the dormitories for male and female students are in shaky conditions what might collapse at any time. This once-famous college is now facing government indifference — what a shame for the nation!
The teachers can hardly take the required number of classes what they were supposed to cover the courses. This also, on the other hand, encourages students to be truants for lack of accommodation. In every department, there are four years but due to acute classroom shortage, only few classes are held in a single year. Nevertheless, the overburden of examinations and training from time to time has deepened the situation further. In this way, the students of the college complete their academic years, set for the exams and obtain degree(s) but without any real achievements in terms of quality.
Besides, the lone hostel for male students and two female hostels both are unlivable due to the dilapidated condition. Simply put, the college lacks the minimum physical infrastructure facilities.
Like Titumir College, many such colleges, offering bachelor’s courses, are now in shambles for lack of proper government supports. Shortage of books in libraries, hygienic hostels and sanitary facilities for students are all too common everywhere. Students who are mainly from low-and middle-income groups accused the government of discriminating between such colleges and public universities in terms of facilities. While the number of the private university is mushrooming with higher cost, the declining quality of education in colleges is making rooms for private universities. Out of total graduates, around 70 percent graduates come from such colleges which are mired in such similar problems. As to the faculty status, most rural colleges are under-staffed which hampers the education process more than any other problems. Huge posts in the faculties are now vacant but the government has little interest to fill those up.
The Higher educational institutions produce graduates as the workforce to build a nation but graduate from National University get less facilities and academic atmosphere to become competent. The government’s apathy to 80 percent students is simply unacceptable. It simply belies the tall-talks about massive development in education sector of the government.
