LAHORE - The study of Urdu language & literature in a number of colleges and universities has been suspended due to lack of enrolment and students interest in the discipline. With the rising inclination of students in science subjects and job-oriented disciplines of the commerce and IT, languages, arts and literature received little or no importance. The arts and literature in general and Urdu literature in particular is facing lukewarm response by the students at Masters level. Master classes in Urdu at Islamia College Civil Lines, Government Science College Wahdat Road, old FC College in Township and even Government College University have been closed down due to poor or no enrolment. The Master classes in Punjab University Oriental College, once famous for oriental literature studies, are also receiving scant response and its enrolment is negligible. The Master classes in oriental languages like Persian have also been closed down even at graduate level. There are also no teaching facilities of Persian at graduate and Intermediate level in any college due to acute shortage of teachers. The Master in Arabic studies is also in fewer universities and none in any postgraduate college. The classes in Urdu and other subjects at Masters level have been closed also due to lack of interest by the authorities failing to provide teachers and classroom facilities for these students. Same is the case with journalism, social work, social studies and local and foreign language studies which form elective and optional subjects in BA. Why the studies in Urdu language and literature is facing crisis and poor enrolment at Master classes is the fact that one can appear in MA Urdu as an external candidate in the Punjab University annual examinations. Besides, job opportunities for Masters degree-holders in Urdu are fewer and very little in the education department. If the teaching and tutorial facilities are improved and quality education in Urdu is imparted by the competent teachers students would surely be willing to take admissions in regular classes. This is evident from the fact that Government MAO College has introduced MA Urdu classes recently which is receiving tremendous response. The 25 seats sanctioned by the Punjab University for Part-I have been filled by the closing date of admission 2009. The part-II had also 12 students enrolled in the year 2008 as the second batch of the degree. Head of the Urdu department Prof Mohammad Rafi said tutorial practices in regular classes provide real knowledge, correct recitation of verses, vocabulary, accent and pronunciation. Why students hesitate to take admission is because of the fact that teachers are ignorant of teaching methodology while every subject has its own teaching methodology which should be imparted to teachers during the training period or refreshers courses before taking the classes. The teachers too are not appointed on the basis of their aptitude for teaching Urdu literature. As such they fail to create an environment which could attract the students. He said arts and science should go parallel to each other and decline in any of the two could lead to a disastrous end.