Amid ongoing nationwide lockdown, the J&K governmentearlier this month stated that over 10,000 Kashmiri students stranded outsidein different states registered their names for their return to Valley. As perthe government directions the registration was done online on the website ofhigher education department.
These figures excluded hundreds of those students whoreturned to valley from outside states days before the lockdown was imposedacross India and other students stranded abroad.
The figures came as a shocker for me as to why this hugenumber of students leave Valley to pursue undergraduate and post-graduatecourses outside which otherwise can be pursued in the colleges within Valley.But then the availability of diverse choices in courses offered in collegesmust be a big reason for students to choose outside state colleges. Also thecourses offered here lack chances of employability.
Apart from already existing 96 government degree colleges inJ&K, the government in last year announced new 102 degree colleges in twophases. Out of this, 52 colleges announced in first phase started the admissionsession this year. Ironically, these new colleges offered the same old coursesto the students which were offered in existing colleges.
These colleges were announced at a time when the enrollmentof the students in the existing colleges was witnessing a downward trend inseveral districts across Valley.
If we talk of the government degree colleges in southKashmir, the rate of admissions of students for under-graduate courses droppedby more than half in 2019.
The admission rate particularly in south Kashmir collegeshad fallen by almost 51 percent compared to 2018.
Government Degree College (GDC) Anantnag is a case in point.The college had an enrolment of 1835 students in 2018 while as only 860 wereenrolled in first semester in 2019. The situation in other colleges was nodifferent than GDC Anantnag.
Instead of revisiting the policy, the governmentsurprisingly decided to establish new 102 college offering same outdatedcourses. However, it continued sabotaging the establishment of colleges inprivate sector wherein the investors had decided to start professional and joboriented courses for the students.
Approximately an amount of Rs 1500 crore is drained out fromthe Valley as thousands of students move to outside states every year to pursueprofessional and higher studies.
In order to avoid this money drain, dozens of proposalssubmitted by Private School Association Jammu and Kashmir (PSAJ&K) arepending with the government for permission for setting up of private collegesin the Valley.
To shelve the proposals and allowing students to choose foroutside states is gross negligence on part of the government. In the ongoingpandemic situation, the government is arranging special flights and trainsbesides buses free of cost to evacuate stranded students from different statesof India, and also outside India.
The situation would have been altogether different if valleyhad its own private colleges offering admission in different professional andjob oriented courses.
May be it would have relieved the government of thesituation which it is facing these days over getting students evacuated fromoutside states.
The issue about students moving out came to fore last yearas well after Kashmiri students pursuing academic and professional courses indifferent colleges in outside states returned to Valley after facingintimidation and physical assault by mobs in different states includingUttrakhand and Hayrana post Pulwama attack which took place in February 2019.
Around two dozen Kashmiri students were suspended and twoKashmiri professors were sacked from the institutions outside state. Theincidents created insecurity among parents who were hesitant to send their childrenback to join the colleges in outside states.
This year the issue again struck after students made hue andcry and wanted to return Valley in view of the ongoing pandemic situation.
When the PSAJ&K submitted its proposal for establishingcolleges, the government set various conditions for them to be fulfilled due towhich the initiative to set up the colleges could never materialize.
While tough conditions in terms of infrastructure and other feasibilities wereput before the private schools body, the government on other hand decided tomake its newly announced 52 degree colleges functional in rentedaccommodations, shabby panchayat ghars and make-shift arrangements; from thebuildings of primary and upper-primary schools.
Instead of announcing 102 colleges which as of now arewithout basic infrastructure, government should have prioritized to establishonly 10 to 20 professional colleges in Valley which could have served thepurpose of providing education to those students who find no option to stayhere for pursuing their higher studies.
If we take look at some top notch private schools in Valley,they can easily start undergraduate courses in their institutions given theavailability of the land and infrastructure, which is most probably much morethan what is available in some of the government-run degree colleges.
In 1996, the government allowed establishment of B.Ed.colleges by relaxing rules following which scores of colleges gradually builttheir infrastructure. Same procedure should be followed for establishment ofprivate colleges with a deadline to develop infrastructure within two to threeyears.
Another option available with the J&K government was totake up the case with Government of India (GoI) to extend the benefit of PrimeMinisters Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS) to J&K colleges which willstop students moving to outside states to pursue higher education.
Every year, almost more than 3000 students move out topursue different undergraduate and professional courses in outside collegesfree of cost. The scheme was launched by GoI for the Valley students but inother ways, the scheme is giving much benefit to most of the colleges outsidestates which were at the verge of closure due to decline in enrollment.
If the scheme is launched for the benefit of students thenwhy they need to leave their home to avail it. Let the students avail thisbenefit from colleges within Valley. Government must engage with the privatepartners and look ahead to establish colleges for the benefit of the studentsand economy of the state. Let both the sectors join hands and heads and see thecolleges in private sector to flourish. The option is fruitful than being incompetition with each other, resulting in the draining out of crores of rupeesfrom Valley to outside states.