Why the Higher Education sector in Uttarakhand has suffered so much is evident from the fact that while the sanctioned strength of the teaching staff is about 1,366 for around 70 Government graduate and post-graduate colleges, there are only about 570 posts being filled up at the moment.
More so, out of these 70 colleges only 40 such colleges are presently running as per the basic requirements with minimum basic infrastructure like having own buildings across the State. And among the rest of the 30 such colleges as many as five colleges located at Kotabag, Chinyalisaur, Satputli, Guptkashi and Garur do not even have land to construct own buildings, while six colleges at Munsyari, Mazra Mahadev, Thyur, Kapkot, Rudraprayag and lakshar possess land but they do not have basic infrastructure like building, informed the officials concerned of the High Education department, Uttarakhand.
However, there are 19 such colleges where building construction process is underway, claimed the officials.
The education sector has rather become a tool in the hands of politicians over the years, who made announcement for opening new degree college in their constituencies. But they do nothing to give concrete shape to these popular announcements, whether in terms of equipping necessary infrastructure or any other, due to which half of the educational institutions in higher education are today running without basic infrastructure.
And more importantly, it is the result of the same politics that opening process of as many as 10 new degree colleges across the State is presently under way in the academic session 2014-2015 without creating necessary infrastructure. There are proposal, which 10 new degree colleges will be set up at Devidhura, Muwani, Banbasa, Talla Salt, Raipur, Margubpur, Manglore, Bhatojkhan and Ghat (Chamoli), officials said.
More so, whereas the State Government has reiterated its commitment to make Uttarakhand an educational hub, poor faculty position in different colleges has only adversely affected higher education in this mountainous State.
It is worth mentioning here that keeping in view of the present strength of a total 70 graduate and post graduate colleges in Uttarakhand, the sanctioned strength of the teaching staff is 1366. But there are only 570 post are filled. “We used to write to the State Government from time to time to fill the vacant teaching posts and create necessary infrastructure. But there has been no development so far,” maintain the officials concerned.
In that scenario, the court’s recent order to grant admission to students in degree colleges only as per the laid norms now seems to have caught the State Government napping.
The students have now taken to the street against granting admission only according to the laid down norms. Though the State Government has assured the agitating students to take care of their interests in this regard, it is to be seen how it handles the situation at a time when the academic session 2014-2015 has already begun.