Doors open, benches empty: Govt colleges in J&K face ‘no takers’ crisis

Jammu, Mar 31: In a blow to government plans of bringing higher education to doorsteps, there are ‘no takers’ of the government colleges in Jammu and Kashmir that are facing dismal student enrolment.
“At present, Government Degree College Baghi Dilawar Khan and Government Degree College Chattisinghpora have no active student enrolment, as the previous enrolment levels were not adequate to sustain a viable academic environment and the institutions have not attracted sufficient student admissions,” the government said.
It also said “GDC Chattisinghpora and GDC Baghi Dilawar Khan are presently placed under the charge of Government Degree College, Anantnag and S.P College, Srinagar, respectively, for administrative oversight,”
The concerned in-charge minister for Higher Education informed the house that less than 30 students were enrolled in each of the 13 colleges of Jammu and Kashmir.
The government figures also said that at least five colleges of Jammu and Kashmir were functioning with an enrolment of less than twenty students in 2025 and eight colleges were functioning with less than 30 students respectively.
The figures further reveal that in 14 colleges in Jammu and Kashmir, fewer than 50 students were enrolled in each college.
Furthermore, 24 government colleges were having less than 100 students enrolled in each college.
The government figures also reveal that in 13 colleges of Jammu and Kashmir, only 100-300 students were enrolled in each college.
The houses was informed that in Government College of Education, M A Road Srinagar only 14 students were enrolled in the year 2025 followed by 11 students in JKIMS, 16 students in Govt Degree College Chatroo Kishtwar, 10 in GDC Langate, 18 in GDC Dangiwachi Baramulla, 28 students in GDC Tulail Bandipora.
The government also informed that the GDC Verinag was functioning with a student enrolment of 29 in the year 2025 followed by 27 student enrolment in Govt Degree College Marwah Kishtwar, 27 students in Govt Degree College Mandi Poonch, 22 students in Govt Degree College Dharmari Reasi, 26 in Govt Degree College, Dudu Bastargarh Udhampur, 26 in Govt Degree College Kralpora Kupwara and 27 students were enrolled in GDC Vilgam Kupwara.
The concerned minister said this while replying to the query as to how many GDC’s were presently functional in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir indicating also the overall student enrolment in each college for the last two academic years.
“Currently, 143 Degree Colleges, Government College of Engineering and Technology (GCETs) across the UT of Jammu and Kashmir are having active enrolment,” the government informed the house.
It also said that there has been a slight decline in the enrolment of GDC Bijbehara during the previous two years. “Colleges across the region have been witnessing some decline in enrolment over the past few years owing to a variety of factors affecting admission patterns.”
“However, during the last academic year, several initiatives have been undertaken by the Department to strengthen the admission process and improve student outreach. These include, inter-alia, admissions through a centralized admission portal and the rationalization or rejig of subject offerings in colleges to better align with student demand,” the government said.
The house was further informed that additionally, the implementation of the fourth year under the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) has also generated increased student interest and participation in Government Degree Colleges across the Union Territory.
“As a result of these measures, the overall enrolment in colleges has shown improvement during the academic’s session 2025-26, with colleges in Anantnag district registering an increase of about 11.8 percent in enrolment,” the government said. (KNO)