Even after offering education of high standard for over half a century, the Government Women’s College here does not have science stream. Still a major demand of the students as well as the guardians, the facility continues to elude one of the oldest colleges in the district.
A few years back, the State Government had decided to open the science stream in women’s colleges in headquarters towns of Balangir, Kalahandi and Jeypore districts. Accordingly, construction of science block was taken up at Balangir college in 2009 and completed at a cost of ` one crore in 2011. Since then, locals and the college students have been expecting that the Government would grant permission to open the stream in the college in vain.
The college was set up in 1962 and last year, it celebrated golden jubilee. Bhaskar Mishra, a local, said he wanted his daughter who passed HSC examination recently to study science and was hopeful that this year, the State Government would sanction permission to the Women’s College to start science stream. “I was hopeful that the government would start the science stream this year. Private colleges charge ` one lakh a year from students for a science degree. I cannot afford that. So, now my daughter will have to study Arts,” Mishra said.
The students too are a dejected lot. Sonali Mishra, who passed HSC this year, is disappointed at the Government decision. “I was hoping to study science at the Women’s College, but now I have to chose between Rajendra College and any private college,” she said.
Principal of Government Women’s College Krushna Prasad Padhi said he has been writing to the Department of Higher Education in this regard for a long time, but to no avail. Sources alleged that the department is hands-in-glove with managements of certain private science colleges in the area for not opening science stream.
“Government Women’s College certainly has better faculty and infrastructure than the private colleges. If sanctioned, science education in this college would hamper the business of private colleges offering the facility,” alleged a local.