Jammu, Feb 10: Senior political leader and former Union minister Dr Karan Singh on Tuesday criticised the decision to shut down Vaishno Devi Medical College, terming it an unjustified step that has dealt a blow to education, employment and future academic prospects in the Jammu region.
Addressing a public gathering in Jammu, Dr Singh said the move was difficult to understand at a time when access to higher education needs to be expanded, not curtailed. He noted that the institution had the capacity to accommodate more local students, including Dogra youth, in the years ahead.
Quoting news agency Kashmir News Trust, Dr Singh said that shutting down an educational institution should never be celebrated. “The college was not just a centre of learning but also a source of employment and regional pride,” he remarked.
He said the closure has deprived future batches of students of opportunities that would have grown over time, adding that many more students from the region could have benefited in the coming academic cycles.
Expressing concern over what he called the politicisation of the issue, Dr Singh said decisions concerning education must be guided by long-term public interest and social responsibility, rather than political narratives.
