The Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday withdrew its earlier decision to merge three low-enrolment government colleges, including Government Degree College (GDC) Kukumseri in Lahaul-Spiti, just a week after announcing a statewide rationalisation of higher education institutions.
Notification Details
In a fresh notification issued by the higher education department on Wednesday, the government rescinded, with immediate effect, the merger of Government Degree College, Kukumseri in Lahaul-Spiti; GDC Rohnat in Sirmaur; and GDC Jainagar in Solan district. This latest order partially modifies the earlier notification of June 2 that had proposed the merger of nine government colleges with student strength below 75 as part of a restructuring exercise.
Kukumseri College Enrollment
The Kukumseri college currently has a student strength of 40. The reversal comes amid strong opposition from Lahaul-Spiti MLA Anuradha Rana, who urged Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to exempt GDC Kukumseri from enrolment-based rationalisation norms. In a letter to the chief minister, Rana argued that the college serves a vast and remote tribal region where educational institutions cannot be assessed solely on student numbers due to sparse population, difficult terrain, harsh winters, and limited connectivity.
Impact on Merger Plan
With the latest modification, the number of colleges slated for merger has effectively come down from nine to six. The June 2 notification also announced the introduction of four-year undergraduate programmes under the National Education Policy, 2020, in 29 colleges across the state and a monthly stipend of Rs 5,000 for students affected by the proposed mergers.
