In most graduate and post-graduate level colleges, the librarian's post has remained vacant for years and the libraries have become virtually non-functional.

Even libraries of reputed institutions of the capital like Dhaka College or Eden Girls College have been continuing their activities without a librarian for quite some time.

Many teachers and students this correspondent spoke to complained of scarcity of books and logistics at their respective colleges.

In Dhaka College, there are about 10,000 students from Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) to Masters level. But its library has the capacity to accommodate only 40 students.

"I have hardly visited the college library since my admission as it offers almost no service to the students," said a third year student of English at Dhaka College. "Books are kept in such an unorganised way that it becomes impossible for students to know where to look for the what," he added.

Mariam Begum, Principal of Dhaka College said that they have been without a librarian for the last five years.

"The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education is supposed to make arrangements for appointing librarians at government colleges. But I do not understand why they have been hesitant in addressing the problem," said Mariam while talking to Star City.

Eden Girls University College boasts around 14,000 students. However its library is only big enough for 120.

Conditions of seminar libraries of government colleges are not much different. There are separate seminar libraries for every department where only Honours and Masters level students are eligible to study.

But students alleged that although they have to pay Tk 500 to Tk 1000 as seminar fees while taking admission, these are as ineffective as their college libraries.

"In many colleges, the authorities do not buy books for the seminar library. Rather they spend the seminar fees for other purposes like picnics, freshers receptions, cultural programmes," said a teacher of Dhaka College wishing anonymity.

But Mariam Begum claimed that students of her college were actually benefiting from the seminar libraries.

When asked about the recruitment dilemma of librarians at government colleges, Director General of Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Professor Mohammed Junaid acknowledged the problem.

"We are trying to recruit professional librarians in the colleges but I can not give you a specific timeframe regarding when these vacant posts might be filled up. As the post of a librarian in government colleges is a gazetted position, we have to give a requisition for the vacancy first. The Ministry of Education will then send the requisition to the Public Service Commission for conducting the recruitment test," explained Professor Junaid.