Bandipora, Aug 27: The Ancillary Medical Training (AMT) institute in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district is grappling with a severe shortage of teaching faculty and a lack of basic facilities.
As per the data compiled by Rising Kashmir, the institute offers four vital courses of FMPHW, Lab Technician, Medical Assistant and ISM with an intake capacity of 20 in FMPHW, 10 each in Medical Assistant and Lab Technician and 10 in ISM.
However, the whole institute is being handled by only two teachers who are not even capable of teaching some subjects.
The details also reveal that the ISM Course presently lacks a dedicated teacher with a similar shortage observed in the Medical Assistant course.
The Lab Technician course, spanning twelve subjects across the first and second year, also relies on a lone teacher to cover all eight subjects per year.
A group of students while voicing their concerns highlighted the “indifference” of higher authorities to their pleas. “For several months, we have been pleading for additional staff, but it seems like no one is concerned,” they lamented. “Our sole purpose of coming here was to acquire an education and build our future. Yet, it feels as though our situation is only deteriorating.”
Basic facilities are notably absent from the institution as the building also lacks proper fencing, the students said, adding that the road leading to it is in a deplorable state. “Unlike most educational institutions which adhere to a designated study period, the students here face irregular schedules, with the administration seemingly declaring holidays at their discretion,” they complained.
An insider while pointing fingers at the college’s principal alleged that his “irregular” visits to the campus are a significant source of concern among the students.
The students have urged Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Dr Owais to personally intervene in the matter. They believe such attention would finally bring them relief.
While rebutting the allegation of his “irregular” visits, Principal Dr Asif Khan told Rising Kashmir that he has been assigned additional responsibilities which have temporarily limited his ability to be present at the institution on a daily basis.
“I understand the concerns of the students and their desire for a more regular administrative presence, and I am actively working to strike a balance between my various roles,” he said.
Replying over the delay in fencing the institute, the Principal said they have faced significant hurdles due to a dispute over alleged land ownership involving locals.
Dr Khan said he has written to the revenue department multiple times regarding the issue. “Until the demarcation of the land is completed and ownership is definitively established, we are unable to proceed with the fencing of the institution,” he said.
