Students at three premier govt colleges grapple with poor amenities, delays

The death of a first-year diploma student at VJTI on October 22 after he was diagnosed with dengue has brought students’ concerns into sharp focus

Mumbai: Students of three prominent government educational institutes in the city – Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), Government Law College (GLC) and the Government Polytechnic in Bandra – are up in arms over poor infrastructure, lack of academic support and basic facilities such as provision of water in hostels.

According to VJTI students, the hostel buildings are dilapidated and safety nets have been installed at some locations to prevent injuries due to falling plaster or debris

The death of a first-year diploma student at VJTI on October 22 after he was diagnosed with dengue has brought students’ concerns regarding hygiene and health facilities at the institute into sharp focus. Meanwhile, GLC students have launched a ‘Save GLC’ campaign over stalled scholarships and campus renovation, while students at the Government Polytechnic are grappling with inadequate water supply and hostel accommodation.

Crumbling hostels at VJTI

In September, VJTI students wrote to the college authorities highlighting the poor condition of its three hostels, which house around 1,200 male and female students.

According to students, several rooms had developed cracks, the hostel buildings were dilapidated and safety nets had been installed at some locations to prevent injuries due to falling plaster or debris. Students also raised concerns over unhygienic conditions and poor maintenance, which they said were affecting their daily lives and studies.

Speaking with Hindustan Times, students said the hostel buildings were nearly 60 years old and needed urgent repairs.

“Despite paying a hostel development fee, we do not get proper facilities. We worked hard to secure admission to this college, but the hostel conditions are disappointing,” a student said, requesting anonymity. Students from different parts of Maharashtra depend on hostel accommodation as they cannot afford the high cost of living in Mumbai, the student added.

A senior official from the higher and technical education department said that following complaints from students, higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil chaired a review meeting and issued relevant directions.

“The government has approved a proposal to construct new boys’ and girls’ hostels to meet the growing demand. It has also assured students that a proposal to fill vacant posts at the institute will be approved within a week,” the official said.

Water shortage at polytechnic

Students at Government Polytechnic, Bandra, have been grappling with academic delays, water shortage and lack of hostel facilities for the past four years. Students from the computer, instrumentation, civil and mechanical engineering streams also said that some portions of their syllabi remained incomplete, while practicals and site visits were pending.

“We do not get proper water on campus, and the lack of hostel facilities is a major problem,” a student said on condition of anonymity.

On Monday, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a protest inside the principal’s office, demanding urgent action on students’ demands.

“The struggle for students’ legitimate demands, which has been ongoing since March, has finally gained momentum. ABVP will continue to fight for students’ issues and provision of essential facilities and to end mismanagement in the college,” said Abhishek Pawar, Mumbai Mahanagar Mantri, ABVP.

Aashi Gupta, state joint secretary of ABVP Mumbai, said, “Students need timely completion of the syllabus, pending practicals and question banks, along with better communication and an effective grievance system.”

Pramod Naik, director of technical education, said water was being supplied to the college through tankers after the issue was raised with the minister. He said that hostel construction was underway, new benches would replace old ones, and lecturers were being appointed on a clock-hour basis.

Save GLC campaign

GLC students launched the ‘Save GLC’ campaign around three months ago, to raise various issues affecting their studies and facilities on campus, such as the need for regular lectures, adequate teaching staff and better academic support.

Students said that the absence of regular lectures in some subjects was affecting their academic progress and sought appointment of full-time lecturers to ensure that the syllabus is completed on time. They also alleged that they had not been provided with the calendar for the ongoing academic year, and highlighted poor renovation work, citing the recent collapse of an air conditioner in a classroom where students were seated, though nobody was injured in the incident.

Students also raised concern over errors in exam results and delays in receiving marksheets, which the NSUI had raised with college authorities.

Shivkumar Ade, former president, NSUI-GLC Mumbai, said, “NSUI is deeply concerned about the administrative and academic issues at GLC. We strongly support the Save GLC campaign to resolve students’ grievances and uphold the college’s academic standards.”

Principal Asmita Vaidya did not respond to calls and messages from HT seeking comment. Milind Sathe, Advocate General of Maharashtra and a member of the GLC governing council, said, “We haven’t received any complaint letter from students. If we receive any such letter, we will take cognizance.”