Minister outlines criteria for establishment of new degree colleges

Srinagar, Mar 24: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Monday said it is currently receiving requests for the establishment of new Degree Colleges across various regions of the union territory, including a proposal from MLA for a Degree College in Majakote.
Responding to a question posed by MLA Muzaffar Iqbal Khan during the Assembly session, the minister responsible for higher education said that the department is assessing these requests based on established criteria.
The minister said the parameters considered when evaluating any new proposals include the population of the catchment area, the number of higher secondary schools within the catchment area, the enrollment of 12th-grade students in the relevant higher secondary schools (a minimum of 500 students), the distance to the nearest existing degree college, road connectivity and geographical challenges, availability of state land of at least 60 kanals and compliance with any additional norms outlined in the Government of India’s Education Policy.
The minister further said that establishing new Degree Colleges requires significant investment, including the recruitment of both teaching and non-teaching staff, as well as substantial infrastructural development and land acquisition. “Currently, the Department is focused on fulfilling the infrastructural requirements for 50 new colleges established under Government Order No. 48-HE of 2019 dated 05.02.2019 and Government Order No. 106-HE of 2019 dated 01.03.2019 to ensure their full operational status,” the minister said.
At present, students from the Majakote area are pursuing higher education at GDC Rajouri, which is the closest college to the Majakote region.