Residents of Turtuk block demand degree college

Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 22

Residents of the Turtuk block in Leh district have expressed disappointment over exclusion of their area from among the locations approved for the degree colleges in the state.

Sarpanches and social activists of the Turtuk block, while briefing mediapersons in Jammu on Tuesday, said the then PDP-BJP government in April 2018 had approved a degree college for Turtuk.

They said the number of students enrolled in the higher secondary schools in Turtuk was higher than in other blocks of Leh district.

“Due to poor economic background and because Turtuk is far-off, many students drop out after Class XII as they cannot afford rented accommodation when they go to study in colleges in other areas. Parents of girl students are more reluctant to send them to far-off places to study because of safety reasons,” said a statement released by Turtuk residents.

The representatives of Turtuk further said the area was 210 km from the district headquarters in Leh and the nearest degree college was at Deskit in Nobra, which was about 90 km away, making it difficult for students to explore educational opportunities.

The residents appealed to the administration to issue a fresh order for opening of a degree college for Turtuk.

They said a few villages despite close proximity to the Line of Actual Control had not been able to avail the benefit of reservation in government jobs.