Govind D Belgaumkar/The Hindu

• Government degree college does not have desks to accommodate all of them 
• The college does not have power supply, playground
• Infrastructure will improve dramatically within a month, says the college principal

Mangalore, Jul 17: Every alternate day is a holiday for students of the Government Coeducation Degree College in Mangalore city. This is because the college does not have enough desks to accommodate all the students.

The college, which was started last year, has 480 students and only 75 desks. The college can accommodate only about 250 to 300 students a day.

To tide over this problem, the college, located off the Car Street, conducts classes on alternate days for the first and second year students. Students of the first year attend classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and those studying in the second year on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Students told The Hindu that they were told about the infrastructure problem in the college at the time of admission. The college management was trying to procure more desks, they said and hoped that the problem would be solved soon.

Principal of the college K. Radhakrishna said that enough number of desks would be procured by Saturday. Daily classes would commence from Monday for all the students, he said.

The college does not have power supply. It conducts Bachelor of Computer Application course without having a computer. Wooden blackboards are placed on the ground in many classrooms as there are no stands to keep them. The classrooms are not cleaned regularly. The college also lacks a playground.

Prof. Radhakrishna said that the college needed at least 20 computers, and hoped that philanthropists would come forward to help the college. He said the college would get power connection by the weekend.

Prof. Radhakrishna said that the vacant land behind the college building could be levelled and cleared of grass and weeds and used as playground.

Pointing at empty gutka sachets dumped near some classrooms, he said that the management had to ensure that unauthorised people did not enter the premises after college hours. Prof. Radhakrishna said he would seek the help of the police in this regard. The college’s compound is being repaired. He said the infrastructure at the college would improve dramatically within a month, and hoped that donors would come forward to help the management.

A couple of banks in the region have been contacted by the College Improvement Committee, under the leadership of MLA N. Yogish Bhat, in this regard.

Efforts were on to ensure adequate water supply in washrooms, he added.

The college, which was initially meant only for girls, has started admitting boys from this year.