Discontent as F-7/4 college re-purposes essential facilities

Islamabad : A growing sense of discontent is palpable among both students and faculty members of the Islamabad Model College for Girls (Postgraduate) F-7/4 as vital facilities are being repurposed, sparking concerns about the erosion of their educational environment.

The college auditorium, once a vibrant hub for diverse extracurricular activities such as Naat and Qirat competitions, speech and singing contests, dramas, and cultural events, has been converted into an IT park, leaving students without a dedicated space for their creative pursuits.

Despite the existence of two computer labs, teachers told 'The News' that these workplaces for scientific research could have been utilised for the IT park, rendering the auditorium's conversion unnecessary and leaving many feeling deprived of an essential aspect of their college experience. They also revealed that the college had taken away the teachers' hostel facility and allocated it to the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences & Technology, leaving numerous young female lecturers from remote areas without suitable residential arrangements in Islamabad.

The women teachers said the decision not only disrupted their personal lives but also raised concerns about their ability to perform their teaching responsibilities effectively. The dissatisfaction of teachers is shared by non-teaching staff members in the college, who are also affected by the re-purposing of essential facilities. One of these employees expressed worry over the "immature" moves by the college administration.

"The administration's decisions have resulted in us [non-teaching staff members] being stripped of on-campus residential facilities, forcing some to transfer themselves to other institutions. Tragically, one of our colleagues recently succumbed to the consequences of these decisions," he insisted. A senior faculty member criticised the current principal's appointment insisting that he was selected despite being an associate professor (BPS-19), bypassing more senior associate professors.

She advocated for the appointment of a senior professor of BPS-20 as the principal, believing that the move will significantly enhance the administration's capacity to manage college affairs effectively.