No New Government Degree Colleges to Be Opened in Madhya Pradesh
The Madhya Pradesh government has informally decided that no new government degree colleges will be opened in the state without proper need assessment. Even if an MLA announces a new college, the Higher Education Department will first conduct a survey to determine if there is any real requirement in the area.
Background of the Decision
The decision comes after 35 new colleges were opened around the 2023 state elections. These colleges together have only 1,500 students enrolled, while the government is spending nearly ₹150 crore annually to run them.
Official Criteria for Opening New Colleges
According to Anupam Rajan, Additional Chief Secretary of the Higher Education Department, the following factors will be considered before opening any new college:
- Whether another college already exists within a 20–30 km radius.
- Whether there is a higher secondary school with at least 500 students in the area.
Current Situation of the 35 New Colleges
- Only 5 out of the 35 new colleges have been allotted land so far.
- Colleges like Shahpura (Jabalpur), Kampel (Indore), Charagwan (Jabalpur), Bherwa (Umaria), Rehatgaon (Harda), Kothi (Satna), and Model College (Guna) have fewer than 100 students enrolled.
Flawed Announcement Practices
Usually, MLAs get new colleges announced in their constituencies during elections to attract voters, without prior surveys. Ideally, a survey should be conducted first, and then the committee should decide based on that data. This procedure is not being followed properly.
Overall Status of Colleges in MP
- Madhya Pradesh currently has 1,371 colleges with around 1.5 million students enrolled.
- Out of these, 571 are government colleges serving 1.175 million students.
- However, the 35 new colleges have just 1,500 students combined, even after one academic session has passed.
Specific Cases
Raja Bhoj College in Mandideep has over 1,000 students but still lacks allocated land. The Collector has recently requested AKVN to allot 12 acres for the campus.
Another college in Fanda, Bhopal has only 25 students but has requested ₹100 crore for infrastructure development.
