Students, more often than not, are blamed for the rising dropout syndrome. But in the Maisaram area of the old city it is the government to blame. Several girls who have made it to college are forced to pursue courses they are not interested in, and they simply drop out.
It all boils down to lack of space. The Government Intermediate College for Girls, Maisaram, operates from the premises of a Government High School in the afternoon after the primary school closes for the day. Nearly 300 girls took admission this year. But more than 25 girls have not been attending classes, and it is believed that they have either dropped out or joined other colleges where their preferred courses are offered.
The college was established in 2008, but it lacks a building of its own. As a result, the college offers only the CEC course. Curiously, the Government Girls College, Falaknuma, and the Government Girls College, Golconda, which started functioning around the same time, have well-equipped buildings.
There is huge demand among girl students of the area for courses such as MPC and BIPC. They are either forced to opt for the CEC course much against their wishes or simply made to quit. Very few girls take the trouble of going to far-off areas where courses of their choice are available. “Who is to take responsibility for this?” asks Nazia Khanam, a private schoolteacher from Ghouse Nagar.
The college is located close to many underdeveloped areas of Shaheen Nagar, Errakunta, Bandlaguda, Sadath Nagar, Jalpally and Pahadi Shareef and is of immense benefit to the administration as it is able to promote higher education among minorities.
However, in the absence of adequate facilities many feel that the very purpose of setting up the college has been defeated.
The administration is believed to have allotted 2,000 square yards for the construction of the college building, but the order remains on paper, says a lecturer on condition of anonymity.
