Enrolment at Sirsa district’s largest govt college nosedives; 54% seats vacant

Anil Kakkar

Sirsa, July 30

Despite the implementation of the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to enhance the quality of education at government-run institutions, students have shown little interest in attending classes regularly at government colleges. It has been observed that a majority of the students are choosing private colleges over government, despite higher fees.

New colleges set up in district

• The BA evening course at the college is on the verge of being discontinued as no student has enrolled for it yet
• The opening of four new government colleges at Goriwala, Rania, Kalanwali and Ding in the district is said to be one of the reasons for decreased admissions at Government National College
• Sources say some professional courses, including the Bachelor of Mass Communication, which are popular among students were introduced but they were later discontinued

This year, the largest government college in the district, Government National College, has 1,170 (54 per cent) vacant seats and the management is struggling to fill them. The BA evening course at the college is on the verge of being discontinued since no student has enrolled for it yet.

The Higher Education Department initiated the admission process for undergraduate courses at government colleges through online applications, but the response has been poor. Additionally, the opening of four new government colleges at Goriwala, Rania, Kalanwali and Ding in the district has further decreased admissions at the Government National College, Sirsa.

Sources say the college offers basic, traditional courses. While professional courses, including Bachelor of Mass Communication, were introduced, they were later discontinued. The lack of professional courses has also contributed to the lower admissions, they say.

Meanwhile, Chaudhary Devi Lal University runs the University Centre for Graduate Studies (USGS), attracting students straight out of school. Students prefer the university environment and the courses they offer, unlike the government colleges, where many courses have vacant seats.

Government colleges enforce strict attendance policies. If a student misses college for six consecutive days, they are expelled. They can be re-enrolled once by paying a fine, but a second offence leads to permanent expulsion. As a result, over 150 students typically face expulsion before exams each semester.

Additionally, the trend of studying abroad and settling there has also contributed to lower enrolments at government colleges.

Sandeep Goyal, Principal, Government National College, said the college had been grappling with the shortage of students since two-three years. He emphasised the importance of regular classes to improve the standard of education. He noted that strict attendance rules ensured students attended classes regularly. The establishment of new government colleges in nearby areas and a separate girls’ college on the same campus has further reduced the strength at the college. He said admissions in the BBA course, which started two years ago, were going well; seats in the course were usually full. However, he also said these days, children wanted to go abroad after school, which could be another reason for low admissions.