Guwahati, 1st March: Ranoj Pegu, the Education Minister of Assam, has clarified that there are no intentions to merge colleges with low enrollment in the state. He reiterated the government’s dedication to strengthening education across all levels, irrespective of student numbers.
Addressing the issue on his official social media handle, Pegu stated, “Today at Guwahati, we cleared the air at a press conference: no plans to merge colleges with low enrollment. We’re boosting enrollments through college clustering, faculty sharing, transitioning to co-ed, expanding hostels, and student counselling in HS Schools. With updated data in the All India Survey on Higher Education this year, we’re set to enhance the State’s GER in Higher Ed.”
Earlier, Pegu emphasized that college principals should strive to increase student numbers to ensure the sustainability of colleges. He stated, “Principals must make efforts to increase the number of students to make the colleges sustainable. At the end of all efforts, if a college fails to attract students, the department will take action. Principals are to ensure quality education so that students and parents are attracted.”
It is noteworthy that Pegu had previously announced on February 24, via his social media handle, about the Higher Education Department’s meeting with the Principals and Governing Body Presidents of 79 Colleges with less than 500 enrolments. Discussions were held regarding strategies to enhance enrollment. Pegu directed @higherednassam to formulate a policy akin to #Shilshakshetra in @SchoolEdnAssam, aiming to merge colleges or departments with low enrollment and to halt the recruitment of teachers in departments with low enrollment.
Reports suggested that this move aims to boost the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Higher Education, which remains a priority for the state government.
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