Sopore, Nov 12 (KNO): Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Sopore, Irshad Rasool Kar Wednesday expressed concern over the deteriorating infrastructure and slow pace of development in Sopore’s educational institutions, urging immediate utilisation of allocated funds to upgrade facilities and bridge academic gaps.
Speaking to reporters on the side-lines of an event, MLA Kar, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said that several colleges established after Sopore Degree College in 1951 have now evolved into cluster universities, while Sopore continues to struggle with poor infrastructure and limited academic resources.
“The colleges which were established after Sopore one have become cluster universities, while the infrastructure here is old and in shambles. The faculty strength and range of courses available are also far from satisfactory. In terms of the education system, Sopore is lagging far behind,” Kar said.
The MLA revealed that the government has allocated over Rs 10 crore for Sopore’s two colleges this year. He noted that only the science block work has started, while a few development activities are underway at the Boys Degree College. He pressed for faster spending of the sanctioned funds to ensure better progress in the next fiscal year.
Responding to questions about his plan for improving primary and secondary education, Kar said that upgradation processes across the education and health sectors are currently paused. “Once these are reopened, I will take up the matter with experts to ensure proper enhancement of facilities at Girls Higher Secondary, Boys Higher Secondary and both colleges”, he said.
The MLA criticized the political approach in establishing educational institutions, saying that it led to scattered resource allocation. “Educational setups have been created based on political considerations. This has weakened the overall education system as resources meant for strengthening existing institutions were divided. As a result, students are now compelled to move outside Jammu and Kashmir for better academic opportunities,” Kar added.
Addressing reports of staff shortages in local schools, Kar denied any major issues at the high school level but acknowledged that higher secondary schools face some vacancies. He assured that these posts will be filled soon to maintain academic continuity.
MLA, however, reiterated his commitment to improving the standard of education in Sopore constituency—(KNO)