The model women’s college continues to function from five rooms of government middle school Sulkoot in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, even as its building awaits completion for last seven years.
The college, the first of its kind for the girls in thedistrict, awaits completion of its building for seven years, since itsestablishment in 2012.
The college was approved under a centrally sponsored schemeproviding for establishment of model degree colleges in educationally backwarddistricts.
A teacher working in the college told Greater Kashmir, “Wehave only five classrooms of 10×12 feet size and we have to accommodate morethan 700 students of different semesters and streams in them.”
“We somehow manage taking classes in the open under theshade of trees in clear days but when it rains, it is not possible to do so,”she said.
The college does not have a designated staff room. Theprincipal’s chamber serves both as the library and the staffroom for teachingand non-teaching employees.
A student enrolled in the 3rd semester said that there islack of classrooms and other facilities. “We have only two toilets here withone being used by the teachers leave another for 700 students. It creates somuch of inconvenience to all of us,” a girl student Saima said.
A teacher of middle school said the functioning of collegefrom this school has also disturbed the academics in the school. “The spacehere is so scarce to accommodate 700 students of the college in addition to 100students of our school. Parents do not prefer to admit their children in theschool which has directly decreased the roll in the school,” Parveena said.
It is not only the middle school which faces problems, thedegree college students also undergo hardships due to lack of space andfacilities.
An amount of Rs 17.20 crore was allotted for construction ofinfrastructure over land measuring 77.17 kanal for the college and the contractwas awarded in 2012 to Jammu and Kashmir Public Construction Company (JKPCC).
When contacted, General Manager, J&K PCC unit KupwaraMufti Irfan said the building is almost completed.
“Within a month or so, the building will be handed over tothe college authorities. Due to heavy snow during this winter the work remainedhalted for months, but now only some finishing work is pending which will becompleted within days,” he said.