July start for two colleges in Siliguri

TT, Siliguri: Two degree colleges coming up in the Siliguri sub-division will open to students from the upcoming academic session, sources said here on Monday.

One of these colleges is being built at Ghoshpukur and the other at Hatighisha in Naxalbari block. The second will be a Hindi-medium institute.

Two Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) will also be opened in Phansidewa and Batashi, both rural areas, in July this year.

The state higher education department has approved undergraduate courses in arts and commerce streams at the college in Ghoshpukur, sources said. In arts stream, students can study in subjects like Bengali, English, Hindi and sociology while accountancy, costing and economic geography would be taught in the commerce stream.

Approval is expected soon for Birsa Munda Hindi College in Hatighisha, which will make it the second Hindi-medium college in the state after another Banarhat in the Dooars.

State tourism minister Gautam Deb said these colleges would help cater to the rising number of students in and around Siliguri.

Every year, thousands of students swarm into the colleges of the city and suburbs to take admission in undergraduate colleges.

"We are happy that both these colleges will be open for students at the ensuing academic year. Also, the two new ITIs will help rural youths to get trained in different technical courses," said the minister.

There are eight government or government-aided colleges in the Siliguri sub-division, of which five are in the city and the others in Matigara and Naxalbari blocks.

Added to these, there are some private colleges, including engineering and law institutes, and BEd colleges (both private and government), in the sub-division.

"The new colleges will help students, particularly those from the underprivileged sections. They will reduce pressure on the existing three colleges in rural areas," said an educationist.