Balochistan: Gwadar,The Port City Without a Standard College

The Baloch Hal

By Mariyam Suleman Baloch

The port city of Gwadar, widely known as a significant city of the country, does not only promise massive revenue to the federal government but also provides hope to overcome many of our economic challenges. The city is capable of transforming into a hub for future industries, development projects along with numerous other mega schemes. Considering these projects, people might assume Gwadar as a developed city. On the contrary, the city with tremendous economic potential still lives under scores of social, economic and civic challenges. Today, one of the major concerns for the residents of the area is the poor state of education. Being the most backward district among the two other (Turbat and Panjgoor) in the Meran Division, Gwadar has the lowest number of educated individuals. Gwadar reasonably deserves attention in relation to the field of education which had been ignored in the past. After the immense efforts of the former Fisheries Minister Meer Husain Ashraf and former district Commissioner Jam Mohammed for the first time an inter college was established in Gwadar on the 1st of September 1991. Officially, established for the boys in the B&R [Building and Road Department] near today’s girls’ high school, the college finally was shifted to its current location on 1st September 1996. Subsequently, after several years with special permission from the educational board of Balochistan, the college initiated classes for girls in the evening shift. However, the lecturers were never paid accordingly for the evening shift though. Remaining as the only college of the city for more than twenty-two years, the college had enlightened numerous individuals’ lives who had studied under it. This year 1,596 students are enrolled but unfortunately very few students appear in the college frequently. The reasons are countless. An institution that had been unnoticed and ignored by the government from the commencement might never be in a standard position to educate others in a highly effective method. Complaining about or blaming the dictator or so-called former democratic governments can be our imprudence but today our Balochistan’s Chief Minister Dr. Abdul Mlik who persistently sheds light on his two main priorities “Health and Education”, seems like has elapsed neighbor of his home district’s educational circumstances. With in the six months of the new government, colleges in Turbat, Punjgoor and Tump each had been funded with specific amounts but again the Degree College Gwadar had been left out or ignored. It has been ten years that the college building had its last repairs. Today cracked walls of the classrooms, horrify the students each day. The construction work of the new college building has also been shut down because of the lack of attention by the government, which has caused the half constructed building in conjunction with its extensive compound to be confined by some group. Emphatically, an entire Degree college is being run with only eight lecturers and a few professors, where as neighboring districts’ colleges have more than forty lecturers. Out of countless vacancies only a few are filled. The college lacks lecturers and professors of English, Physics, Zoology, Botany, History, Civics, Geography, Political Science, Social work, Islamiat, Statistics and Pakistan Studies. Beginning from 1998, these vacancies amplified every year but remain vacant till today. Along with the shortage of the teaching staff, the college lacks ministerial staff as well which includes clerks, superintendents and so on. Being the home to one of the largest library of the district, students are still deprived of books since the college’s library is short of librarian from more than four years. With only four rooms in the bachelor’s loge and having the only servant’s quarter in the college boundary, and comprised with problems of basic needs like water and so on, the staff members have to suffer. Two female lecturers belonging to Turbat who have recently been appointed to Gwadar College aren’t attending their duties from three to four months. One of them, having back up of National party is trying her level best to get the salary which has been restricted by the principal of the college. The college was upgraded to Degree level in April 2006 and today perhaps the critical issue that the college is struggling with is neither being affiliated with the Balochistan University Quetta nor with any other university. The college depends on Atta Shad Degree College, Turbat. The principal of Turbat College attests examination forms and university registration forms for Gwadar Degree College. This year the students had to suffer due to not getting their examination slips on time, which created serious issues for the students during exams. According to the principal of college, a letter which included a detailed report about the issues was sent to the secretary of the Education Colleges Section Balochistan, Quetta last month; however they hadn’t got any response yet. Ultimately, education is the right of every citizen in the country nevertheless inauspiciously Balochistan’s most regions along with other privileges lack this fundamental right. The district which is the home to the country’s second largest port is short of a single standardized college. The chief minister’s party had got mandates in Gwadar during the municipality elections as well, and with mandates the chief minister had got responsibilities too. It is to be seen how much attention the education will get as the priority of the chief minister.