Govt college enrolment falls 26% in two years

Srinagar, Sep 30: Enrolment in government degree colleges across Jammu and Kashmir has fallen by nearly 26 per cent in two academic years, with the decline sharper in the Jammu division than in Kashmir, according to data tabled in the Legislative Assembly.
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‎The number of students enrolled in the government degree colleges covered by the government’s district-wise statement fell from 24,745 in 2023-24 to 18,312 in 2025-26, a reduction of 6,433 students.
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‎The figures were provided by the Higher Education Department in response to a question by MLA Arjun Singh Raj seeking details of courses offered in colleges, declining enrolment, employability of graduates and steps being taken to introduce industry-aligned and skill-based courses.
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‎The Jammu division recorded a sharper contraction, with enrolment falling from 12,625 students in 2023-24 to 8,644 in 2025-26, a decline of 3,981 students or 31.5 per cent.
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‎Jammu district, which had the largest enrolment in the division, fell from 5,930 to 3,906, a decline of more than 2,000 students.
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‎The decline was also pronounced in Udhampur, where enrolment dropped from 1,716 to 895, while Rajouri fell from 1,593 to 728.
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‎Doda recorded a decline from 874 to 534, while Kathua fell from 1,211 to 1,001. Poonch also declined from 671 to 474.
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‎Some districts, however, bucked the trend. Ramban rose from 22 students in 2023-24 to 205 in 2025-26, while Reasi increased from 145 to 284 and Kishtwar from 211 to 319. The base in these districts was considerably smaller. 
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‎Kashmir division also witnessed a decline, though less steep than Jammu.
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‎Enrolment fell from 12,120 in 2023-24 to 9,668 in 2025-26, a decline of 2,452 students or 20.2 per cent.
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‎Srinagar recorded the highest enrolment among Kashmir districts but fell from 4,190 students in 2023-24 to 3,352 in 2025-26.
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‎Baramulla dropped from 2,188 to 1,553, while Anantnag declined from 1,476 to 1,341. Pulwama fell from 1,075 to 802 and Kupwara from 876 to 657.
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‎Kulgam recorded one of the sharper declines, from 756 students in 2023-24 to 434 in 2025-26.
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‎There were exceptions. Shopian increased from 464 to 511 students, while Ganderbal rose from 275 to 289. 
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‎The Higher Education Department said there was no consolidated course-wise employability rate of graduates from government degree colleges currently available, and that a comprehensive formal assessment/survey covering employment outcomes, placement, average salary package and other parameters was being undertaken.
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‎The department said the exercise would assess employment and placement outcomes, sector-wise absorption, skill requirements and other relevant indicators to support future academic planning. 
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‎It also said a committee had been constituted for rationalisation of subjects and introduction of new programmes, including industry-aligned, skill-based and future-ready courses under the National Education Policy framework.
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‎The committee has been asked to examine existing courses, identify gaps and recommend new programmes based on emerging employment opportunities and requirements of the local economy.
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‎The district-wise figures put the regional difference into sharp focus: Jammu division lost nearly one-third of its government-college enrolment between 2023-24 and 2025-26, compared with a one-fifth decline in Kashmir.
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‎The data also shows that the decline is not uniform. While some districts have witnessed substantial reductions, others have recorded increases, suggesting that enrolment patterns vary considerably across individual colleges, subjects and districts.
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‎The department has separately provided college- and course-wise enrolment data in its annexure, with several courses showing declines of more than 25 per cent and a number of courses marked as discontinued. The annexure covers government degree colleges across both divisions. 
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‎The government has said the rationalisation exercise will examine the relevance of existing programmes and explore courses in areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Cyber Security, Remote Sensing and other emerging technology-oriented fields, subject to academic and infrastructural requirements.