Established 34 years ago, the college has now only 15 teachers, including seven from other disciplines who have nothing to do with fine arts. Absence of a policy on recruitment of teachers has led to such a situation.

All concerned, including teachers, students, artists, consider turning the college into an institute under the Chittagong University as the best means to save the college and restore its past glory.

Founded at the private initiative of some art connoisseurs in 1973, the college is now limping with only eight teachers of fine arts, whereas some 60 teachers are required for its four practical and a theoretical departments.

Moreover, four senior teachers -- Soumen Kanti Das of applied arts, Laila Anjuman Ara Habib of theoretical department, KMA Quayyum, the lone teacher of painting, and Shahrul Haider, the lone teacher of graphics department, -- are scheduled to go on LPR (leave preparatory to retirement) by 2009.

It would deepen the crisis at the college as 10 posts of teachers, out of 18, have been lying vacant since long.

The other seven teachers, including principal and vice-principal and teachers of different subjects such as Bengali, English, mathematics, general history and sociology, are posted on transfer at the college, although these subjects are not included in the curriculum.

As a result, the teachers of fine arts have to take three or four honours classes a day while the teachers of general subjects mostly spend idle time.

At present, the college has 175 students in the four-year honours and one-year master's courses.

A teacher of general history is now taking theoretical classes on the history of fine arts while an English teacher is taking theoretical classes on 'Bangladesh: History and Heritages'.

A teacher of political science transferred to the post of Lecturer of Bengali is also taking theoretical classes on the history of fine arts.

Principal Meena Das, a teacher with background in mathematics, said the teachers of general subjects posted on transfer hardly take any classes since their subjects are not included in the college curriculum.

The college introduced honours courses in 2003-04, but posts of teachers were not created as per requirement, sources said.

At present, there are two posts of lecturers and one post of assistant professor in each of the four basic practical departments, but there are no posts for associate professor or professor, depriving the fine arts teachers of promotion or scope to become the principal or vice-principal.

KMA Quayyum, the lone teacher of painting, did not get any promotion during his 30 years of service in the college.

Lack of a proper policy in both the Public Service Commission and Bangladesh Civil Service holds back the recruitment of teachers with background in fine arts, said Principal Meena Das.

The crisis would worsen further when master's classes would start within a few months, said Assistant Professor Soumen Das.

Delwar Hossain, a student who recently appeared in the 1st year final examinations, said they have suffered a lot due to shortage of teachers.

As a teacher has to take several classes a day, he or she hardly finds enough time to complete the syllabus properly or to take good care of every student, he added.

This institution was first established as a feeder institution of the fine arts department of Chittagong University (CU).

It was turned into a government college in 1984 and the government also took a Tk 4 crore project in 1992 for its further development.

Under the project, two academic buildings, an administrative building, a three-storey air-conditioned art gallery, an auditorium, an open stage and a library were constructed.

The CU authorities in its syndicate meeting on September 23 in 1997 took a decision to create a Fine Arts Institute combining the CU fine arts department and the Chittagong Art College.

The government also declared that the college will be turned into an institute under the Chittagong University and the decision was also published as a gazette notification on March 11 in 1999.

But a writ petition filed by Prof Syed Abdullah Khalid, a teacher of the university, against the decision brought the process to a halt.

As a High Court division bench rejected the writ petition on May 7 in 2001, Prof Khalid filed another petition with the Supreme Court against it. The Supreme Court also dismissed the petition.

But to the utter disappointment of art lovers, the CU authorities had cancelled the decision regarding the institution at its syndicate meeting on July 29 in 2002 only a few days before the Supreme Court gave its verdict.

Sources alleged that pro-Jamaat teachers of the university were behind the cancellation of the decision.

Principal Meena Das said they have already sent a letter to the education adviser seeking steps to resolve the crisis facing the college and formulate a recruitment policy.

Upgrading the college to an institute might be a permanent solution to this crisis, she added.

Fahmina and Rashu, two students of honours 2nd year, said that merging the college and the CU fine arts department into an institute can ensure proper utilisation of infrastructural facilities of the college.

Senior journalist and columnist Abul Momen, also a former principal of the college, is in favour of creating an institute combining the Chittagong Arts College and CU fine arts department.

"There is no alternative to establishing an institute as a means to save the Chittagong Arts College and make the CU fine arts department effective at the same time."