Peerzada Arshad Hamid

Srinagar

The recent decision of government to open 18 new degree colleges across J&K has caught government on wrong foot. Facing severe criticism from people, the government’s move is likely to backfire in the coming assembly elections, later this year. Experts in the valley too are aghast over what they say “politicisation” of higher education.

Ever since the announcement, protests began to rock rural Kashmir and are spilling at an alarming pace. This time breaking the conventions, the demand is for setting of more colleges.

People allege that cabinet approval for sanctioning new colleges is fraught with favouritism and vote bank politics. Educationists too criticise government for trivialising higher education and fanning up local passions. 

It all started from Magam in central Kashmir, where people came on roads criticising government of deliberately ignoring their area for setting up of a college. The protestors went their ire on public property and Police resorted to firing to quelling the protests. One person got killed in the police firing resulting in building pressure on the government.

Days after, the demand was heard in other parts of valley as well with equal proportion of anger. Protests occurred in, Chadoora , Charar-i-Sharief (central Kashmir) in district Budgam, Lalpora in district Kupwara (north Kashmir), Kangan in district Ganderbal and Y K Pora in district Kulgam (South Kashmir). People in these areas too indulged in burning of tyres and engaging Police in stone pelting. However no loss of life was reported in these areas.

Local administration and Police usually has a tough time convincing people in these areas to abstain from protests. For days together people observe shutdowns and impede vehicular traffic to make their demands heard.

Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad proclaims that new colleges would extend the ambit of higher education to far-off areas and provide ample opportunity to students to excel in higher education.

Leaving aside the public outcry, is government’s decision a step towards providing quality education? Experts share a different viewpoint.    

“This is mockery in the name of development. Government knows they have nothing to do except making announcements. They did it in the past by announcing up gradation of schools without really upgrading them, now they are doing same with colleges,” said a known sociologist of Kashmir, B A Dabla.

Dabla does not see any logic in granting colleges to every village and argues that the “pseudo demand” has been implanted by the politicians for their own interests.

As per figures of Director Higher Education already in Jammu and Kashmir State, there are 54 colleges. Of the 18 new colleges, two will be set up for women, one each at Srinagar and Pulwama. The other colleges will be set at Kokernag, Gurez, Tangdhar, Dharmari, Kilhotran, Chattroo, Banihal, Budhal, Nowshera, Khansahib, Uttersoo, Sogam, Kilam, Jammu city, Bishnah and Bani.

As college politics goes on, the already functioning colleges in the Jammu and Kashmir remain without proper infrastructure and faculty. The worst affected are the one’s sanctioned between the year 2004-2006. These colleges are running either in rented buildings or in temporary sheds and makeshift tents.

Although, the government claims that college infrastructure is being developed with funds provided by New Delhi under the Prime Minister Reconstruction Programme (PMRG), Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) and State plan, the dismal picture on the ground poses question mark on the government claims.

Government Degree College, Bijbehara, a co-educational institute with more that 600 students was established in 2006. The college functions from a six room rented house having faculty strength of mere 14 persons. Only three of them including the Principal are permanent. There is no library facility to the college. However, the officials say that library remains closed as the post of librarian has not been sanctioned to college. Because of the space constraint in the college, the examination centre of the students has been kept somewhere in privately run educational institute 14 kilometres away from the college.

Government Degree College, Uri runs from a three-room shed, one of them occupied by the principal for its office. Established in 2006, 200 students are enrolled in college which has only two lecture rooms for teaching five subjects.

Government Degree College Beerwah was established more than a year back. It runs from seven rooms of the building of District Institute of Education and Training (DIET). More than 800 students are enrolled in the college and the number of teachers is just 11, only three of them permanent.

Government Degree College Kupwara has a total enrolment of more than 2700 students. Established 18 years ago the college has only eight lecture halls and only eight permanent lecturers.

Government Degree college, Kulgam has only six permanent teachers for more than 3000 students. The co-educational institute was established in 2003 and has to manage from nine lecture halls. The college doesn't have a library.

Government Degree college Pulwama established in 80’s is again devoid of sufficient classrooms and teachers. For around 5000 students, there are only 10 class rooms and 16 permanent teachers including principal of the college. The college is having poor library with no reading room facility. During summers, the management use makeshift tents as class rooms to teach the students. 

Work in other colleges of the valley suffers because of the lack of teaching and non-teaching faculty. Every year department of higher education engages hundreds of postgraduates as teachers in these colleges on contract basis.

At some places colleges that were sanctioned more than a year ago are yet to start functioning. Even there are reports of government having flouted norms usually set for building colleges in private sector.

“In private sector if anybody intends to build a college, he needs to hold some eight Kanal (one hectare) of land. There are proper guidelines for what should be the area of class rooms, etc., but here they themselves are ignoring these things altogether and occupying rented buildings with few rooms,” said an official in Directorate of Higher Education on the condition of anonymity.

What should be more satisfying than people are protesting for getting colleges in Kashmir? Looking from a distance more colleges means more avenues of education. And spread of education means change in perception. Does all this mean people have understood significance of education? 

Ask noted educationist in Kashmir, Abdul Gani Madhosh and he uses the term “division of poverty” for the scenario prevailing in the state.

“Instead of sharing dividends, government has made us to share the poverty. Let each one of us have a poorly equipped college in name, instead of one with complete infrastructure and facilities. Governments today believe in visibility rather than on practicality. Higher education is cost effective. Without incurring costs here you can’t expect desired results,” says he.

Madhosh sees political compulsion as a reason in allocation of colleges rather than any developmental spirit in the act as is being portrayed.

 “I don’t understand what fortune a degree college would bring for a village. Here you have to bring faculty from outside the village. The product that college will produe doesn’t have any market relevance in the present day because you are not setting some specialized colleges instead the centres for offering conventional courses. So, why this hue and cry?” explains he.

The annual expenditure for the higher education sector in J&K in the year 2007 was Rs 827.48 Crore for non-plan and Rs 166.61 Crore for plan. In the forthcoming budget to be presented this year it has been increased to Rs 872.5 Crore for non-plan and Rs 179.9 Crore for plan.

As per rough estimates provided by senior Economist Prof Nisar Ali, some 9000 people graduate from Kashmir University alone, out of which 2000 go for higher studies and the burden of 7000 people adds to the unemployed per year.

“If we see the government step in light of National Sample Survey and their guidelines, then there is a need to set up colleges at this pace. But at the same time government can not evade responsibility of properly maintaining the infrastructure in these colleges,” argues Nisar Ali, Dean Faculty Social Sciences at University of Kashmir.

Ali is optimistic that infrastructure in colleges will develop with the passage of time; a view differed by A G Madhosh.

“We have some colleges in Srinagar older than Kashmir University but they have never developed beyond what they were. So far not a single example has been set that would have changed our perception,” Madhosh adds.

Then what does the growing public outcry and changed sentiment on the road signifies? Has Kashmiri perception changed? Have Kashmiri youth become more job oriented and career conscious?

Gul Wani is a political analyst in Kashmir and he sees the protest as the handiwork of political parties and disapproves it as a change in Kashmiri perception.

“Protests over electricity, water and other issues keep on going here intermittently and this is just an addition to that. It is pure politicisation of education and nothing else. In the present age our priority should have been on the quality of education rather than on expansion. I don’t understand what good colleges can contribute in the rural development,” questions Wani.

Although, some politicians to keep their vote bank intact and pretending concern for the people in these villages are joining chorus to keep the demand alive, however Minister for Higher Education has bluntly rejected to budge to the people’s demand.

“We can not announce more colleges at the moment. May be some people agitating over the matter have genuine demands but we too have to follow some guidelines,” said Gurcharan Singh Charak .

The past five years of coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir has seen up gradation of Primary schools to Middle schools, Middle schools to High schools and High schools to Higher Secondary schools. The up gradation remained mostly limited to papers and no significant change was felt on ground.

Now the similar strategy is being formulated by the ruling government to improve their credentials to approach the voter with inflated achievements.

But will this help, time will only tell.