New Degree Colleges yet to see ray of light

VISHAL. Updated: 5/6/2021 11:03:12 AM Front Page

No land identified for Nagrota, Sidhra institutions

Jammu: The COVID pandemic undoubtedly has affected the world and brought the progress to a standstill while the impact was also visible on ground in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir as the announced Degree Colleges have yet to see a ray of light.
Moreover, the government as per reports, have still to identify land for Degree Colleges to come up at Nagrota and Sidhra in Jammu outskirts.
"The fate of upcoming new colleges have hanged in between due to COVID pandemic," reliable sources in the Higher Education Department said.
They added that to further strengthen the higher educational structure, the government in the year 2019 has approved the opening of 52 new degree colleges in the Union Territory.
Out of the total colleges, four were approved for Jammu, which included Nagrota, Kunjwani Sidhra and Bhagwati Nagar, sources said adding, "initially, pre-fabricated structure was prepared in Degree College Kunjwani and it was made functional while the work to raise pre-fabricated structure in Bhagwati Nagar is also in its final stage."
Sources said that COVID hit the World in 2020 and similarly it also had an impact on identifying and acquiring land for new degree colleges in Jammu and Kashmir to begin with construction work as well as introducing new courses.
"Last year, the first wave of Corona kept the government authorities on tenterhook in identifying the land for many announced colleges," sources added and said that at some places, pre-fabricated structures have come up but even after two years of announcement, land for new Degree Colleges is yet to be identified including for Nagrota and Sidhra Degree Colleges.
"To start with, classes begun in some already existing colleges, panchayat buildings or in rented accommodations," sources added and said that presently the online classes are taking place either of school level or of college level due to COVID and the government has shut all educational institutions till May 31 across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
"Four years back, government initiated to introduce new courses and the details were also prepared by the Higher Education Department and forwarded to the colleges but the proposal could not take off," sources added.
"There was neither sufficient infrastructure nor teachers and permission obtained from the concerned universities to run the new courses," they said adding that the syllabus was also not ready by the time.
"Due to COVID in 2020, new courses could not be introduced and only arts, commerce subjects were taught while Science discipline was also missing due to absence of laboratories," they added.

Updated On 5/6/2021 11:03:24 AM


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