Education

Aspiring UG students accuse GDC Pulwama of ‘favouritism’, stage protest against admission denial

FPK photo/ Qayoom Khan

Pulwama: A group of students on Monday staged a protest demonstration outside Government Boys Degree College Pulwama against the college administration for denying them admissions for the undergraduate courses.

Eyewitnesses said that scores of the students seeking admissions in the college gathered outside the college and staged a sit-in protest. The students belonging to different places of Pulwama said that they are being denied admissions to the college without any reason, thus forcing them to look for a college outside the district.

One of the protesting students who spoke to Free Press Kashmir said that whenever they approached college authorities for UG admissions, they deny giving any access to college accusing them of “favouritism” as students from other districts take the admissions without any hindrance.

The aggrieved student alleged that the college administration has changed the admission rules for the local students; however, students belonging to far-off places are taking the admission without any problem.

“The new rule has caused hardships to the local students aspiring to take admission in the college,” he said, adding, majority of the students belong to the weaker sections of the society and cannot afford to receive education outside their catchment areas. “If we take admissions in different college despite having one nearby, it will be much expensive than we can afford,” he said.

The students also said that if such was the rule authorities must have conveyed it through the notifications or media channels. At the end movement, we are being denied the admissions and this adds to the miseries Kashmiri students are facing for many years.

Another student lamented that hours after when he managed to submit his form at GDC Pulwama, he was told to wait for a phone call. “It’s bizarre that students who have secured 80% marks are denied admissions and those who secured low are being welcomed,” he said, adding “by denying me the admission, the college expects me to get admission in a far-off college only because I am a local student.

One more protesting student alleged that authorities fear the “law and order problems” and that is the sole reason for not giving them admissions.

When contacted Principal GDC Pulwama, Farooq Ahmed, he said that there are many colleges in the district and students must see the catchment area before taking the admission. Instead of looking for the catchment area, students prefer to take admissions in the ‘headquarter’ of the college.

“There are vacancies in Rajpora and Awatipora colleges as well, for students who cannot find their relevant streams there, can come here and take the admissions including in the subject of science and commerce,” he said. “We have a vacancy for them”.

Speaking to Free Press Kashmir, Deputy Commissioner Pulwama Baseer-ul-Haq Chaudhary, said that degree colleges of the district had not published the list in this regard and by tomorrow the list will be updated so that the process goes smoothly.

When asked about favouritism alleged by the protesting students, the Deputy Commissioner said that admissions are being given ‘purely on a merit basis.’

 

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