BALANGIR: There are only four lecturers in Balangir Government Degree Women’s College as against the sanctioned 17 posts. Thirteen lecturer posts in the five-decade-old college are lying vacant dealing a deadly blow to education in lone women’s college in the area.
Departments like English, Odia and Home Science manage with just one lecturer against the sanctioned posts of three, two and three respectively. Departments like History, Political Science, Psychology and Economics have no lecturers at all.
Balangir Government Women’s College was set up in 1962 with an affiliation of Utkal University. After inception of Sambalpur University in 1967, the institution came under its purview.
The college that celebrated its golden jubilee in 2012, has honours teaching facilities in English, Odia, Economics, Psychology, History, Home Science, Political Science and Sanskrit.
Even as the college also caters to girl students of nearby districts, its education standard has been going down every year.
As far as the Balangir Government Junior Women’s College is concerned, science education is yet to be started. Following a State Government directive to open science stream at women’s colleges in the headquarter towns of three backward districts - Balangir, Kalahandi and Jeypore - a science block was constructed on the Balangir Junior Women’s College premises in 2011 at a cost of more than `1 crore. But the Government is yet to grant them permission.
Faculty crisis apart, both the degree and junior colleges face infrastructure issues. There is no drinking water or proper lavatory facilities for students. Besides, there is no electricity connection in many of the classrooms.
Former students’ union president and writer Gayatri Saraf said the college has been ignored by the State Government over the years. “Had the college received attention from the Department of Higher Education like colleges in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar do, the situation could have been better. If need be, former students will resort to agitation over the various issues in the college,” she said.
Former principal of the junior college Chintamani Sikka said that he had written to the Higher Education Department several times seeking permission to open science subjects, but in vain. Apparently, there is no full time principal in the degree college.
In charge principal Sushma Manjari Naik said if the Government does not fill up the vacancies before the new academic session begins, condition of the college will further deteriorate.