New colleges take a toll on primary schools

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, October 22

The government has opened nine colleges in Kangra district — at Jandor in Jaswan Paragpur, Ray in Indora, Dadasiba in Dehra area, Khundian and Majheen in Jwalamukhi, Nagrota Surian in Jawali, Takipur and Mataur in Kangra and at Lunj in Shahpur. Two private colleges in Jwalamukhi and Baroh have been taken over by the state government.

The new colleges have taken a toll on primary and secondary schools. In Matour, about 10 km from Dharamsala, a new building of the government senior secondary school was constructed. The school authorities were expecting that the children would get rid of the ramshackle building in which the school was being run. But the new building has been handed over to government college, Mataur, and the school is still running in the unsafe building.

Similarly, almost all new colleges have taken over the buildings of primary or secondary schools.

These lack infrastructure and are operating from two or three rooms taken from primary of senior secondary schools and lack teaching and administrative staff.

Though the state government has opened new colleges in Kangra district, no new teacher has been recruited in the college cadre. As per the data provided by the state government in the Assembly, there are over 500 vacancies of teacher in colleges. The number might have gone up with opening of new colleges.

The state government is transferring teachers from old to new colleges. Many teachers from Dharamsala Government College, one of the oldest and the most established colleges, have been shifted to new colleges in the district.

New colleges have miserable faculty strength — two to five teachers on an average. The new colleges have an average strength of less than 100 students. The Jandor college has just 17 students.

Teachers said many government colleges lacked infrastructure. Shahpur government college, functioning for more than a decade, has been running in a ramshackle building. Science classes have not been started. The government should first improve infrastructure and provide teachers in old colleges before opening new college. There are 21 government colleges in Kangra district. Leader of the Opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal has also alleged that the colleges are being opened without any justification just to please political leaders.

500 vacancies of teacher 

• Almost all new colleges have taken over the buildings of primary or secondary schools.
• These lack infrastructure and are operating from two or three rooms taken from primary of senior secondary schools
• They lack teaching and administrative staff.
• Though the state government has opened new colleges in Kangra district, no new teacher has been recruited in the college cadre.
• As per the data provided by the state government in the Assembly, there are over 500 vacancies of teacher in colleges