GUWAHATI, June 9 - Students coming from other places to study in the city�s Bishnu Ram Medhi Government Law College, the one and only government law college in the State, have to arrange private accommodation as the college does not have hostel facilities of its own. The college also faces a scarcity of permanent faculty members.
In conversation with The Assam Tribune, BRM Government Law College Students� Union president Debarshi Goswani said that lack of hostel for both boys and girls was a serious issue as most of the students came from the economically weaker section.
�Students have been suffering from a number of problems. Lack of hostel tops the list. We�ve around 600 students and most of them are from outside the city. So a hostel is the need of the hour. Space constraint is a serious issue, as the college needs to be expanded in the coming days. The government should take the matter seriously,� Goswami said.
The student body president added that there was no facility for students to take Major (honours) in any subject, which limits their scope for higher education.
The college was established in 1914 and Jnanadhiram Barooah was its first Principal. The institution for legal education was the first postgraduate institution in Assam and one of the oldest law colleges in India. In 1948, it was renamed as Gauhati University Law College and its campus was shifted from the eastern bank of Dighalipukhuri to the Gauhati University campus at Jalukbari. In 1975, it became Government Law College and since then, the college was imparting education from the campus of Cotton College. In 1993, the college started LLM course under Gauhati University and was also renamed as BRM Government Law College. Finally, in 2010, the college shifted to its present campus at Panjabari.
According to the official website of the institution, at present it has five permanent and seven part-time teaching staff.
Misbah Uddin Ahmed, general secretary of the students� union, said that lack of adequate numbers of permanent teaching staff has also disrupted the academic environment.
�Though our permanent and part-time teachers perform their duties with dedication, but appointment of more permanent teachers will improve the academic environment,� Ahmed said.
He said that lack of a playground was also a drawback for the institution as the annual sports event is organised at the Veterinary College playground at Khanapara on rent. The college also has no common room for boys.
The higher authorities of the institution told The Assam Tribune that all the issues affecting the college would be solved in a phased manner, as the Assam Public Service Commission has assured the appointment of an adequate number of permanent teachers in the college very soon.
