96 GDCs functional in JK : Syed Altaf Bukhari

Rouf Pampori

5 Dariya News

Jammu , 12 Jan 2018

Minister for Education, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, today informed the House that 96 Government Degree Colleges (GDCs) are functioning in the state, out of which 69 colleges are functioning from their own campuses while as the construction work on 10 colleges has been completed during the current financial year.Replying to a question of legislator Ghulam Nabi Monga, the Minister informed that the construction work of 20 Degree Colleges is underway out of which four are targeted to be completed by the end of March, 2018. The state government has recently approved the opening of 17 new degree colleges in the state, he added.Replying to a supplementary question related to functioning of colleges from makeshift accommodations, the Minister said the creation of infrastructure takes place from time to time to provide quality education to the students.He further informed that the government has appointed 1,000 lecturers in the last one year and is going to fill additional vacancy of 1,000 lecturers in the coming time. He assured that from now onwards, the government would start the academic curriculum in colleges only after their infrastructure is completed, he noted. With regard to the construction of Degree College in Baramulla, the Minister informed that the acquisition of land measuring 143 Kanals and 14 Marlas for the said college was issued in 1968. He further informed that because of issues related to compensation, the process has been delayed and said that the Higher Education Department is closely monitoring the case.The Minister said that the government would do justice to the land owners and construct the college on the same land, he added.Replying to a supplementary question of legislator Sofi Yousuf related to the construction of Degree Colleges in Pahalgam, the Minister assured that the government would construct the college in Pahalgam soon.Replying to a supplementary question raised by legislator Khursheed Alam relating construction of Degree College in the vicinity of Gandhi Memorial College in Srinagar, the Minister said that the government is constructing the college to provide quality education to the students and informed that seven rooms of the college would be completed by the end of March, 2018 and new subjects would also be introduced, besides making it part of Cluster University’s program.