Pahalgam, Feb 5: The inhabitants of Pahalgam in South Kashmir’s Islamabad (Anantnag) district have urged the government to establish a degree college in the area saying that many students were not pursuing higher education due to the absence of such an institution.
 According to the resident, the students from this area have to travel to Islamabad (Anantnag) town, 45 kilometers away, for higher studies after passing 10+2.
 “The establishment of the degree college in Pahalgam Tehsil has been our long pending demand, but the response of the authorities has always been cold,” said the residents.
 They said it was virtually impossible for the students hailing from remote areas of Aru, Frislan, Chandanwari, Sheikhpora and Ovura Nallah to first reach Pahalgam and then again board a bus to Islamabad town to reach the Degree College everyday.
 “The absence of the college is telling upon the education scenario of the area. Most of the students in these remote areas after passing 10+2 are forced to leave the studies as they can’t afford to go to the Degree College in Islamabad (Anantnag) town,” said Mushtaq Ahmad, a resident.
 The Pahalgam, he said, was perhaps the only Tehsil in the entire state which despite its vast area and huge population has been denied a Degree College.
 “Every Tehsil in the Islamabad (Anantnag) district except ours has Degree College and though recently government approved 22 more in the state, but we were again denied the same,” said Mushtaq.
 The residents of the Dochnipora and Khowripora belt of the Tehsil too say that their children were suffering in the absence of a degree college. “It almost takes us more than three hours to reach the college in Islamabad (Anantnag) and by the time we reach there most of the classes are already over,” said students from Hapatnar, Yashinar and Nagbal adding the situation gets worse during winter season.
 They said many of the students of the area are left with no choice rather to pursue the degrees through distance mode or go for private examination.“The college should be established at such a place in the Tehsil which would be convenient to all and will be centrally located too,” they added.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 5 Feb 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 5 Feb 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:00:00 IST