No teachers, no libraries, no labs, no blackboards, no toilets, no buildings

Yogesh Avasthi | Ahmedabad Mirror| Jan 23, 2017,(Ahmedabad Mirror pg one : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/no-teachers-no-libraries-no-labs-no-blackboards-no-toilets-no-buildings/articleshow/56727283.cms

Students of the government college in Gambhoi shiver as they try to pay attention to their teacher while the chilly breeze of a winter noon blows. Though a large tree stands nearby, they prefer to be seated on a thin plastic sheet in the open ground so that the sun's rays can warm their cold bodies. With one ear, they listen to the teacher, the other cocked for the bell of Gambhoi High School to ring farewell to the kids. The bell means warmth in winter and shade in scorching summer as even two years after being set up, the college does not have a building of its own and these students wait for the school to get over to occupy the empty classrooms.

Despite all these hassles, students at this 'college' are better off than many other government colleges that make a mockery of the government's cry of education for all, revealed a Mirror investigation.
In a bid to promote higher education in semi-urban and rural Gujarat, the state government had declared that government colleges will be established in all talukas. A provision was made in the 2016 state budget tabled in the assembly, and the government opened 24 colleges in areas like Bavla, Babra, Sojitra, Gogha, Talala, Okha Mandal, Veraval, Lalpur, Vanthali, Harij, Vagara, Muli, Lakhpat, Garbada, Poshina, and Tilakvad to name a few.

However, the government has not been able to deliver on many fronts. Most of these colleges operate from a couple of rooms in the local school. There is just one person who is the incharge principal, clerk, peon - all rolled in one. Without teachers, laboratories or libraries, many students are forced to take private tuitions to keep up with the syllabus.
Mirror visited some of these colleges to take stock of the ground realities faced by the rural youth:

Open air classrooms

The problems faced by students of Government Arts and Commerce College in Gambhoi, Himmatnagar does not end with being able to secure a classroom at the local school. The 'college' - which started in 2014 as an extension centre and got approval to be an independent college in 2016 - has no library, peon or clerk. Only one incharge principal, three contractual faculty members and three visiting teachers take classes for 143 students of Arts faculty, and seven students from the Commerce faculty. If the school has board exams, then the college is forced to suspend classes for the period.

Bavla college : This science college has no lab

There are 337 students in Government Arts and Science College, Bavla that operates out of Atmaram Keshavlal Vidyamandir. The college has only two permanent faculty members, one of which happens to be the in-charge principal. The other is an Electronics teacher, but what is bizzare is that the subject is not taught here. The other subjects are taught by visiting faculty member.

Despite being a Science college, there is no laboratory here. Student Nikhil Jinva says, "Science students are supposed to spend 6-7 hours a week doing practicals. The first semester students have no lab sessions. In November 2016, all the other students were taken to Gujarat College in Ahmedabad. There, they were 'shown' how to conduct practicals in the earlier part of the day. In the latter part, they gave their practicals exam."

Student Deshmukh Sanket says, "Students of English and Gujarati medium are crammed in one class. The medium of instruction is Gujarati. There is no library here, classrooms are too small and the state of washrooms in nothing short of abysmal."

Student Dhruvi Desai says, "I live in Dhandhuka and am forced to travel 100 km to Ahmedabad to attend practical class in Ahmedabad."

Dhanpur govt  College No practicals held

The Government Science College in Dhanpur, Dahod, has just one staffer. The chemistry teacher is the in-charge principal, faculty member, clerk, and peon. Without any visiting faculty, he teaches 40 students in TYBSc and 6 students in FYBSc. A student, refusing to be named, said, "We were advised to choose chemistry in TYBSc as there were no other teachers. Students who wanted to take Physics or Biology were transferred to a college in Jhalod. Without a lab, we have had no practical period. We have never held a testtube."

The college functions out of Adarsh Nivasi Kanya Shala building with holes for windows, no doors, no lights, and no fans. "Our principal has to do everything. The college was started in 2014 when students were admitted under Gujarat University. In 2016, students were taken in under Shri Govind Guru University in Dahod. So, if there are forms to be filled or problems to be addressed, the principal has to go to Ahmedabad for older students and Dahod for younger students. He also has to attend meeting in Ahmedabad or Gandhinagar. Such days, school remains closed," the student added.

Tribal belt find no takers

Established in 2014 as an extension centre, the Government Science College in Chhotaudepur has 82 students. It functions out of a classroom that Don Bosco School offered them as a lecture hall. The in-charge principal teaches Maths and the only other teaching staff is a visiting faculty. There are no professors for Physics, Botany and English as nobody wants to teach students in the tribal belt. There are no laboratories in the college either. As the official college timing is from 12 pm to 5 pm, the college starts from 1.30 pm after school students leave.

One man show

What started as an extension centre in 2014, the Government Science College, Limkheda, Dahod got full-time recognition from the state government in 2016. There are 17 students in the first year, and 27 students in the third year. Still, there are no permanent or visiting faculty to teach students. The in-charge principal plays all the roles including the part of the professor, clerk and even the peon. There are no teachers for Botany, Physics, Maths, Zoology and English. Students try to catch up on these subjects through private tuitions. The college is run from a small room in Adarsh Nivasi Kanya Shala where first and third year students attend classes by turn.

Limited means

There are 89 students at the Government Science College in Veraval. To handle them, there is one in-charge principal and three visiting faculty members. There is no administrative or sub-staff working here. The college, which runs out of the government school, has no laboratory either.

'It's how govt college works'

The Government Arts and Commerce College at Muli, Surendranagar started in June 2016 with 100 students in Arts and 31 students in Commerce stream. The college is run by an in-charge principal, two contractual faculty members and two visiting professors. There are no professors who teach Gujarati and Sanskrit. When students complained about the professors they were told this is how a government college functions.

Lack of furniture

For 113 students at Government Arts and Commerce College in Babra, Amreli, there is an in- charge principal, two contractual faculty membrs and two visiting teachers. There is no peon, or clerk. There are no tables or chairs at this college which functions out of Sarkari Kamsi High school, so the principal and teaching staff sit on benches meant for students to do their work.

No blackboard for Arts stream

At the Government Arts and Commerce College in Lakhpat, Kutch three in-charge principals has been changed since it was set up in 2016. There are seven visiting faculties in this college but no peons and Clerks. There is no furniture for the teaching faculty. Even blackboards were not provided for. When a complaint in this regard was raised, authorities reportedly said: "Arts students do not need any blackboard, only Accounts students do." The college runs on the premises of Modern School finally bought more blackboards last week.

Where ex-students teach

After the Government Commerce & Science College in Dahej, Bharuch was started in 2016, five students in Science and 73 students in Commerce were enrolled. The college is near Bharuch so students who have passed out of here teach the newer lot. The college is run on the premises of PJ Kheda Janta Vidyalaya where two rooms have been allocated for the same.

 The Government Arts and Commerce College in Lalpur was started in 2016 with 45 Arts students and 45 Commerce students. There are three permanent teachers, but no clerk or peon. The local government school has given two rooms to the college of which one is used as the staff room. "Due to the space crunch, classes for Arts are taken in the mornings while Commerce batches are run in the afternoon," said a student, seeking anonymity.

Meanwhile, the Government Arts & Science College, Harji, Patan was started last June with 32 students in Arts and 142 students in Commerce. There are four visiting faculties and four contractual teaching members. Run on the premises of Modern school, the college has no laboratory, no peon, or clerk.

Asked about the facilities a college should offer, Gujarat University VC M N Patel said, "If a college promises to offer certain subjects to students during admission, it must be taught to them. They must have the necessary classrooms and teachers, whether it is regular or visiting faculty. Science colleges must have laboratories while all colleges must have libraries so students can lay their hands on reference material."

Principal Secretary (Higher & Technical Education) Anju Sharma said, "We began the recruitment process to hire 874 teachers for technical colleges and 176 for other colleges a while ago. Tenders have been issued for lab equipment, books, benches etc. These things take time. We will get everything done by March."

Meanwhile, Education Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said he was aware of the problems. "We have started allotting land to colleges for buildings. UGC norms say that teachers must have PhD. We have asked them to permit us to hire MSc students who scored first class to teach students. These students could be granted the option of completing PhD in five years. This way, we will be able to give jobs to young people and ensure quality education, too."