FDE colleges’ junior sections running over capacity

Islamabad : Junior sections of Islamabad’s most government colleges have more students than their capacity, leaving teachers overburdened and quality of education compromised.

These educational institutions overseen by the Federal Directorate of Education have large class sizes at primary level due to the arrival of hundreds of new students at the start of every academic year.

Severe overcrowding due to enrolment spikes has been noticed in the F-6/2 Islamabad College for Girls, I-8/4 Islamabad Model College for Girls, G-6/3 Islamabad College for Boys, and F-6/2, F-10/2 and F-7/4 Islamabad model colleges for girls.

A teacher of the I-8/4 IMCG told ‘The News’ that the recommended capacity for a class was 40 students but there was one classroom for 66 fourth graders. “Not only does the class run far above the recommended capacity but the room’s size is also very small failing teachers to focus on all students as required,” she said.

The teacher said packed classrooms adversely impacted on the learning of students. Things are even worst at the F-6/2 IMCG, whose I-VII classes run with around 70 students each to accommodate large enrolments.

A teacher of the college said she and colleagues struggled to connect with pupils due to burgeoning class sizes caused by excessive admissions, mostly on a political basis.

“The overcrowded classrooms have made me manage a large crowd of children instead of imparting education to them as desired,” she said.

Things are no different at the IMCG, F-10/2, where junior section classes have students packed in like sardines.

A teacher of the college insisted that every class had 56 students, above the maximum capacity of 40, distracting both teachers and pupils.

She said the teachers spent most of their time managing unfocused students in overcrowded classrooms instead of delivering effective lessons and therefore, most of them ended up frustrated.

“When the class size burgeons, it becomes really difficult for teachers to instruct and students to learn,” she said.

A teacher of G-6/3 college’s junior section, whose classes also run above capacity, insisted that the top bosses of the FDE and the education ministry, which had its administrative control, had no answer to the crisis for lack of understanding.

He said the teachers of overcrowded schools had little time and resources to plan and execute things and that they reported higher levels of stress. “Schools are not just buildings. Instead, they’re places with a good environment for learning,” he said.

Farzana Akram, a representative of the model college junior section teachers, said overcrowded classrooms and excessive workload had turned working conditions for junior section teachers highly stressful.

As a corrective measure, she suggested the immediate construction of new academic blocks in colleges and hiring of new teachers.