Sir,
It appears quite funnyto apprise the government of Jammu and Kashmir in general and the state education department in particular that, while the students all over the state are attending their respective schools and colleges regularly and getting un interrupted education there, the poor and helpless students of GDS Basohli have been asked to remain away from their college for an indefinite period owing to the non-availability of teaching, menial, clerical staff and inadequate library, laboratory and sports equipment in the college. Due to the architectural defects and the use of spurious and nonstandard building material the plasters of the walls of the whole building are gradually falling, the wooden shutters of the doors and the windows have been totally eaten by the white ants.
As reported by the principal GDC Basohli there is only one post i.e. of the principal which is permanent in the college while 24 posts of lectures arefalling vacant since long. The students who come to attend the college from a distance of 10 to 40 kmts. by bus, on foot and after crossing the flooded streams and nallahas have to return to their homes blank with the wet eyes due to the non-availability of the teaching staff. Without the clerical staff the principal alone has to deal with the office work, maintenance of the records of the college, financial matters, correspondence, planning and management of the college. It is not less than a cruel joke which the State Government is playing with the poor students as well as with the gullible people of the rural areas. Not to talk of the arrangements for teaching science subjects, there is no provision for co-curricular activities, sports and indoor games available in the colleges. There is no arrangement for the potable water for the students in the college. There is no compound wall which can define and enclose the college complex and save it from the encroachment and the stray animals. In the absence of the sports teachers and the sports material no team of the college has ever taken part in the mural or inter mural competition. The urinals and the latrines of the college remain choked as a result of which the whole college complex works in stinking environment.
The present condition of the college is far below the standard of a middle school functioning in the area. Keeping the students of GDC Basohli away from their college under the pretext of holidays is not the solution of the problem rather it can be construed as the sheer injustice with the innocent rural students.
Yours etc….
Shiv Kumar Padha
Basohli