Lahaul-Spiti college merger proposal on hold, MLA Intervenes
Shimla, June 8,
Himachal Pradesh Government’s ambitious higher education rationalisation exercise has received another modification with Lahaul-Spiti MLA Anuradha Rana announcing that Government Degree College, Kukumseri, would not be merged with GDC Kullu as proposed in the recently notified restructuring plan.
The announcement came after Rana met Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and urged him to reconsider the decision in view of the unique geographical conditions and educational challenges of the tribal district.
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According to the MLA, the Chief Minister responded positively and directed officials to take appropriate action to retain the independent status of the college.
The state government had recently issued a notification restructuring government colleges on the basis of student enrolment, faculty strength and resource utilisation. Under the policy, 26 colleges with enrolment exceeding 1,500 students have been permitted to offer four-year undergraduate programmes with Honours and Honours with Research.
Three colleges with enrolment between 1,000 and 1,500 students would offer four-year Honours programmes, while the remaining institutions will continue with three-year undergraduate courses.
As part of the rationalisation exercise, nine government colleges with fewer than 75 students were ordered to be merged with colleges located at district headquarters.
The notification had also proposed the merger of Government Degree College, Kukumseri, with Government Degree College, Kullu. Fresh admissions in the affected colleges were to be stopped from the 2026-27 academic session.
To address concerns of students affected by the mergers, the government announced a monthly stipend of Rs 5,000 for those opting to continue their studies at the designated district headquarters colleges. Students already enrolled in the affected institutions were to be accommodated in the merged colleges while continuing their studies.
Rana argued that applying uniform enrolment criteria to remote tribal regions would adversely affect access to higher education. The reported decision to exempt Kukumseri College from the merger plan is being viewed as a significant relief for students and residents of Lahaul-Spiti, who had expressed concerns over the long distances and logistical difficulties involved in pursuing higher education outside the district.
The government is expected to issue a formal clarification or revised notification regarding the status of the Kukumseri college in the coming days.
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