The Principal of these God forsaken Colleges are struggling to manage store, run regular classes, skill development program and browsing centers. Apart from faculty, these colleges are facing problems on account of non availability of staff including Junior Assistant, Physical Training Instructor, Chowkidar and peon. Absence of washroom is not only trauma but a saga of mental agony.
JAMMU: Reeling under infrastructural deficit, the new Degree colleges sanctioned under phase II for Jammu region by State Administrative Council in March 2018 are compelled to run from two rooms building set up sans basic amenities.
While, in near future there are least chances of escapism from this gloomy picture, the conspicuous absence of ownership among planning section of Higher Education Department (HED) and ‘chalta hei’ syndrome among the designated college heads of these God forsaken GDCs inflicting a serious casualty on quality education in already neglected pockets of identified areas.
The government has sanctioned opening of 102 new GDCs after abrogation of article 370 in state and most of these are running from provisional accommodations sans basic amenities and staff. For establishment of these GDCs either the process is crawling at snail pace in case where the sites were finalized or it’s entangled in disputes over the ownership of land in some cases.
Majority of academicians are of the view that if this situation allow to persists for long it will evoke poor response from the area in term of students enrollment and foil the very concept of feeding the underprivileged area at conceive stage.
With a view to boost literacy rate in the underdeveloped areas of J&K and provide the underprivileged an access to higher education, the State Administrative Council in its decision in December 2018 approved 50 new Degree colleges.
In Jammu region locations approved out of these sanctioned 50 GDCs includes Vijaypur in Samba, Chenani in Udhampur, Mandi in Poonch, Paddar in Kishtwar, Marh in Jammu, Doongi in Rajouri, Ramkote in Kathua, Dudu Basantgarh in Udhampur, Kotranka, Peeri in Rajouri, Kunjwani in Jammu, Nagrota, Sidhra in Jammu, Khakryal in Katra, Neeli Nallah in Udhampur, Ukhral, Batote in Ramban, Ramgarh, Purmandal in Samba, Pouni in Reasi, Marheen in Kathua, Jourian, Bhagwati Nagar in Jammu, Mongri in Udhampur.
Most of these colleges since its inception in Feb 2019 are running from temporary make shift arrangements in Panchayat Ghars, Anganwari centres, Primary Schools and hostels where they are accommodated like Displaced Citizens devoid of basic amenities. There are reports that in some cases, the land identified is not sufficient for establishment of colleges.
Interestingly, in two rooms, the Principal of these Colleges are struggling to manage store, run regular classes, skill development program and browsing centers. Apart from faculty, these colleges are facing problems in its smooth operation on account of non availability of auxiliary staff including Junior Assistant, Physical Trained Instructor, Chowkidar and peon.
Interestingly, the Government vide order No. 1462-GAD of 2018 dated 25.09.2018 has constituted a committee to examine the feasibility of starting these colleges in identified locations by 31.07.2019. The Committee has recommended operational of new sanctioned colleges, at some places during 2019-20 with felt requirements.
In reality, things work in contrast to the recommendation of the committee. The majority of the academicians felt that this is mainly due to lack of cooperation from the Planning section of HED where the concerned officials instead of extending helping hands to lift the new colleges up to its measurable level are playing spoilsport.
If things keep moving at this space with myopic vision, the new colleges would not able to see its permanent building even in a decade, opined one college teacher.
These colleges were opened with a bigger cause to provide higher education in those areas which remained underdeveloped since long and deprived of opportunities to pursue higher education. This goal would remain confined to papers until these new colleges provided with necessary infrastructure and man power, said another college teacher. “Operating colleges from two rooms’ setup will not only prove deterrent to growth of higher education but will indeed discourage enrollment in future, he added. The debacle of SSA schools which were later merged with the existing schools in 2015 is a ready reference for the government.
It’s imperative for government to wake up to the crisis in making and prepare roadmap for operationalisation of these new GDCs in J&K and provide sufficient infrastructure and backend support even if they are running from temporary buildings to justify its tag of a college so as to attract healthy enrollment, said one Principal who is at present heading city prestigious college.