HP govt rolls back decision to merge govt colleges

Kullu: The Himachal Pradesh govt on Tuesday rolled back its decision to merge three low-enrolment govt colleges, including Government Degree College (GDC) Kukumseri in Lahaul-Spiti, a week after announcing a statewide rationalisation of higher education institutions.In a fresh notification issued by the higher education department on Wednesday, the govt rescinded, with immediate effect, the merger of Government Degree College, Kukumseri in Lahaul-Spiti; GDC Rohnat in Sirmaur and GDC Jainagar in Solan district. The latest order partially modifies the earlier notification of June 2 that proposed the merger of nine govt colleges with student strength below 75 as part of a restructuring exercise.The Kukumseri college has a present student strength of 40. The reversal comes amid opposition from Lahaul-Spiti MLA Anuradha Rana, who urged chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to exempt GDC Kukumseri from enrolment-based rationalisation norms. In a letter to the chief minister, Rana argued that the college serves a vast and remote tribal region where educational institutions cannot be assessed solely on student numbers due to sparse population, difficult terrain, harsh winters and limited connectivity.With the latest modification, the number of colleges slated for merger has effectively come down from nine to six. The June 2 notification also announced the introduction of four-year undergraduate programmes under National Education Policy, 2020, in 29 colleges across the state and announced a monthly stipend of Rs 5,000 for students affected by the proposed mergers. MSID: 131635733 413 |