Hadiya, a student of BS part two, resides in the small village of Kamar Mashani in the district of Essa Khel. Most people here are engaged in agriculture and hard labour. Her father is also a daily wage labourer who barely manages her daughter’s educational expenses.

Hadiya says she studies at Kamar Mashani Girls Government College in the Mianwali district. Although there are classes in the college, there are no teachers to teach. There is a library, but it lacks books. Access to the lab is only possible once a year, during the annual practical exams.

“The government college is the only hope for girls from poor families. Our parents cannot afford private colleges. There are only four teachers in the college who try to complete the syllabus despite various challenges.”

Hadiya further says that the teachers who join face a lot of administrative hurdles, which becomes frustrating. As a result, they get transferred from here within a few months.

The total population of Essa Khel tehsil in Mianwali is around three lakh 74 thousand, out of which nearly three hundred thousand people reside in rural areas and approximately 84 thousand in urban areas.

The literacy rate for women in the district is only 39 per cent. This rate is 22 per cent lower than the district’s overall literacy rate.

In the Essa Khel tehsil, the overall literacy rate is 54 per cent, with only 35 per cent of women being literate.

The population of Kamar Mashani consists of around 36,000 individuals, with more than 18,000 women and approximately 17,000 men.

Kamar Mashani Girls Government College offers classes for programmes including FA, FSC, ICS, two-year bachelor’s degree, Associate of Arts (ADA), and Associate Degree in Science (ADS).

The BS Honors in English classes began in November in 2023, attracting enrollment from 80 female students. However, a permanent teacher has yet to be posted for these classes.

Faiza, a student in Intermediate Part Two from the suburban area of Kamramashani, Paila Boring, says that educating girls is not a tradition in her family. But, she is deeply passionate about acquiring an education. Through perseverance and by convincing her parents, she gained permission to enrol in college. Despite the daily challenge of a five-kilometre journey, she commutes to college every day. However, the lack of proper facilities at the college sometimes leaves her disappointed.

“The college is being run with the assistance of volunteer teachers, most of whom are recent graduates of the same institution, who join the college for a two to three-month internship. Some teachers are appointed at the end of the year under the CTI program to cover the syllabus. However, there is currently no information available regarding the status of these seasonal teachers,” says Faiza.

Rafia is a permanent teacher at the college. She says that in the last few years, there has been a significant increase in the number of students. “Currently, the college has a student population of two thousand. But, only four permanent teachers are available to educate such a large number of students.”

The senior administrator of the college, who requests anonymity, says that subjects including English, Urdu, Islamic Studies, Pakistan Studies, Health and Physical Education, Sociology, Mathematics, Education, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Zoology, Botany, Computer, and Economics are taught here.

She says all subjects except Computer, Mathematics, Physics, and Biology have vacant teaching positions. She also says that the challenge is not the absence of teacher postings; instead, it is the underdeveloped nature of the area and the lack of basic facilities. “This is why newly appointed teachers swiftly arrange their transfer from here. Over the past three years, there have been postings for 11 teachers, with seven teachers posted in the current year. Only one of them is still in service.”

Saira Sehrish has recently transferred from Kamar Mashani Government College to Peela Government College. Formerly a permanent teacher of Health and Physical Education at Kamar Mashani College, she told Lok Sujag that some issues at the college stem from the administration’s harsh attitude.

“As a Physical Education teacher, I faced challenges as girls were not granted permission, let alone provided with facilities for sports and physical activities. The principal, who has established her own rules, is reluctant to consider input from anyone else.”

Sehrish says that the principal has no intention of addressing the issues students and teachers face. Her only concern is maintaining her reputation. No one dares to question why, despite receiving funds, the college fails to provide facilities according to the needs.

Principal Somia Niazi denies claims of strict behaviour in the college, stating that the atmosphere there is enjoyable. She says that there is no strictness but attributes the high turnover of teachers to the underdeveloped nature of the area and transportation challenges.

She says that despite many administrative responsibilities, she also teaches classes. “Despite the shortage of teachers and various challenges, the Intermediate result this year still stands at 80 per cent,” she says.

She says that under the CTI program of the Higher Education Department, when the required number of teachers is not met, temporary teachers are hired for five months.

“We applied for the CTI program in 2023 as well, but appointments under the CTI program were not made across Punjab last year.”

To address the current situation, she has invited volunteer teachers to enhance student exam preparation.