Gehlot questions govt’s scrutiny of 303 colleges

Jaipur: Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday raised questions over the Bhajan Lal govt’s decision to review 303 colleges started by the previous Congress govt.
The Bhajan Lal govt has formed a high-powered committee to review the feasibility of these colleges by checking enrollment numbers, impact of the colleges in their respective areas, and other parameters.
On Thursday, Gehlot said on X, “Till now we all had heard that the govt’s job is to open new educational institutions like schools and colleges to provide education to students near their homes, but the BJP govt of Rajasthan is going to close colleges opened by the Congress govt.”
He said the Congress govt opened 303 colleges, out of which the construction work of the buildings of about 250 colleges was underway.
“It is a matter of common sense that the building will be built only after the announcement of the college. During our govt, the construction work was stuck for about two years due to Covid. The recruitment process of more than 2000 assistant professors was started through RPSC to teach in these colleges,” he added.
Gehlot said that in these colleges teaching was being done by appointing guest faculty under the Vidya Sambal Yojana on a temporary basis. He said that with the opening of new colleges near villages, number of girls studying in colleges exceeded that of boys and dropout rates had reduced for the first time.
“The Prime Minister had given a guarantee in the assembly elections that no scheme of our govt will be stopped or weakened. I do not know who those people in the govt of chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma are who are taking such decisions that the message goes out that the BJP govt of Rajasthan is deflating the ‘Modi ki Guarantee’ and is taking decisions that harm the public,” said Gehlot.
On Thursday, parents’ association in the state also opposed the move, saying a review of govt schools and colleges should be for mismanagement and not for closing them due to low enrolment.