Govt admits drop in college admissions across J&K

Srinagar, Mar 31: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday acknowledged a decline in student admissions across Government Degree Colleges (GDCs) over the past two academic years, including at GDC Bijbehara.

The disclosure came in a written reply by the Minister in-charge for Education to a question raised by MLA Dr Bashir Ahmad Shah Veeri, who had sought details on the number of functional colleges and student enrolment trends.

According to the reply, there are currently 143 Government Degree Colleges and GCETs across J&K with active enrolment. However, the government admitted that overall student intake has witnessed a decline in recent years.

“There has been a slight decline in the overall student enrolment of GDC Bijbehara during the previous two years. Colleges across the region have been witnessing some decline owing to a variety of factors affecting admission patterns,” the reply stated.

The government said the Higher Education Department (HED) has initiated several measures to strengthen admissions and improve outreach. These include the introduction of a centralised admission portal and rationalisation of subject offerings in line with student demand.

It added that the implementation of the fourth year under the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP) has generated renewed interest among students. As a result, enrolment has shown improvement during the 2025–26 academic session, with colleges in Anantnag district recording an increase of about 11.8 per cent.

The government expressed hope that GDC Bijbehara would also witness a similar improvement in the coming academic sessions.

Responding to concerns over the establishment of colleges without proper feasibility assessment, the government said new institutions are set up strictly as per prescribed norms. Proposals are examined by a duly constituted committee that evaluates factors such as feeder school enrolment, distance from nearby colleges, land availability, and regional requirements.

It, however, noted that utilisation levels of institutions are dynamic and may vary depending on enrolment trends, demographic changes, accessibility, and evolving educational preferences. In some cases, lower enrolment has resulted in under-utilisation of certain colleges.

The government further informed that the HED regularly reviews the performance and functioning of GDCs, including enrolment levels, academic programmes, infrastructure, and regional needs. Based on these assessments, steps such as restructuring or revising courses are undertaken to align education with employment opportunities.

On the status of GDC Baghi-e-Dilawar Khan and GDC Chattisinghpora, the government said both institutions currently have no active student enrolment due to insufficient admissions to sustain academic activity.

It added that two non-teaching staff members are presently posted at GDC Chattisinghpora for maintenance and security of infrastructure, while no staff is currently deployed at GDC Baghi-e-Dilawar Khan. Both colleges are under the administrative control of GDC Anantnag and SP College Srinagar, respectively.