Minister for Education, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari today informed the legislative Council that there are three Degree Colleges functioning Poonch district adding that preference would be given to uncovered areas for opening new colleges.He informed the house that at present there was no proposal to open a Degree College at Tehsil Mandi, District Poonch.“The location details for setting up of the newly sanctioned colleges are being worked out by the Department. It will be an endeavor of the Department that the academic activities in these colleges are started as soon as possible,” he said.Elaborating further, he said the opening of new Colleges at a particular place/area shall be subject to the availability of requisite land preferably state land and feasibility of demand which also includes the sufficient number of feeding Higher Secondary Schools in the area.“The priority shall be accorded to uncovered Assembly Segments which are presently devoid of such facility,” he added.
The Minister was replying to a calling attention notice moved by legislator, Dr. Shahnaz Ganai, “to draw the attention of government towards matter of urgent public importance namely the situation that has arisen due to non availability of Degree College at tehsil Mandi, district Poonch.”The Minister informed that the students of Mandi area are pursuing higher studies from Government Degree Colleges, Poonch and, Surankote. He said and the subjects offered in Poonch college include general English, English Literature, Zoology, Chemistry, Sericulture, Physics, Mathematics, BCA, Geography, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Education, Political Science, Economics, Arabic, History, Philosophy, Environmental Science, Persian, Sociology, Commerce and Biotechnology with hostel facility for 60 male and 36 female students.“Similarly, in Government degree college Surankote subjects offered include English, Education, Urdu, Political Science and Environmental Science” he informed further.
The Minister said that the Government Degree College, Poonch is at a distance of 24 KM and Degree College Surankote at a distance of 30 KM from Mandi.Besides, the minister informed that there is one more College functional in the district at Mendhar in which various subjects like (Applied Math, Arabic, Botany, Chemistry, Commerce, English, Hindi, Urdu. Computer Application, Economics, Education, English Lit. Environment Science, Geography, Mathematics, Persian, Physics, Political Science, Sociology, Zoology) are offered.