KOZHIKODE: Government Arts and Science College in Meenchanda is at the threshold of a National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) visit. Currently the college holds B grade but the poor infrastructure could lead to it receiving a lower one. The buildings are so dilapidated that they need renovation urgently. Classes cannot be conducted properly as the ceilings can fall at any moment, and there is also leakage on the walls. The buildings which are more than 50 years old have been in a bad way for almost 15 years.
“The administration has tried its best to overcome the issue without disrupting classes. Renovation works have started. We have shifted those classes to the seminar hall. But the work is very slow which in turn can create problems during the NAAC visit,” said College Principal, P.A. Shivaramakrishnan. He added that there was no other permanent solution as the building had reached demolition stage.
Teachers, students and parents are putting in their best to improve the condition and thereby achieve better grades from NAAC. They are involved in the minor renovation works. “We are trying our best to tide over the crisis. It is really hard to co-ordinate; recently the roof collapsed in the physics lab. The condition poses threat to life also,” said Vice Principal Abdul Khader N.K. He told DC that the college expected better progress in the work being done by the Public Works Department (PWD).
He added that although the PWD were told of the problems long ago, the work was progressing at a snail’s pace. “The students had planned to wear helmets in classes as a protest. But we realized that the problem was not of the college but of the PWD,” said Akhil. V., a commercstudent. With the government sanctioning Rs 12 crores, the administration hopes that the construction of the new building will be implemented soon.
