Girls' jr college working double time due to classroom shortage

 Hyderabad: The Maulana Azad Memorial Model Government Junior College for Girls in Nampally is grappling with a severe shortfall of classrooms to accommodate 1,272 students, forcing its hand to conduct classes in two shifts, posing a multitude of other problems.

The college offers BiPC, MPC, CEC, HEC and six vocational courses in Hindi, Telugu and Urdu mediums. The college ideally requires 16 classrooms and a minimum of four labs, but currently has only eight classrooms.

Principal P. Durga expressed her dismay over the challenging situation, saying, “The current scenario is alarming and hinders our ability to provide quality education. The lack of classrooms and dedicated labs poses a significant challenge for both students and faculty.”

The six vocational courses — Office Assistantship (OA), Computer Science, Pre-school Teacher Training Course, Commercial Garment Technology, Electronic and Computer Technology, and Medical Lab Technician — also require specific resources, adding to the complexity of scheduling and further straining available resources.

Currently, the morning shift from 8 am to 12.30 pm is held for regular courses, while vocational courses are scheduled for the afternoon, from 12.30 pm to 5 pm.

A lecturer, requesting anonymity, said that the absence of dedicated laboratories for practical sessions in chemistry, biology, physics and vocational courses further impedes the educational experience.

Despite numerous letters and requests from the principal to district intermediate education officer Dasari Oddenna, education commissioner Navin Mittal, regional joint director (multizone-2) Jaya Prada and others, the situation remains largely unchanged.

Among the replies was a proposal to use classrooms of a government school operating from the same campus.

The principal said, “The classrooms are yet to be handed over to me for us to begin classes there. Until that happens, we're overburdened with the double shifts.”

Students said rooms are damaged and the storage area, meant for exam scripts, remains locked throughout.

“The damaged rooms are beyond repair and storage rooms cannot be repurposed for classes due to exam-related commitments,” Durga said.

A student, walking in at 12.30 pm for her vocational class, said: “It's disheartening to be part of a college that struggles to provide essential facilities for practical learning.”