B.Ed in dowry — Himachal girls flocking to J-K for lessons

There are girls from Punjab and Haryana too but girls from Himachal outnumber them by far.

“When four years back my sister was to be married, no one asked whether she was working or not. But now the mediators first enquire whether the girl is employed or not,” says Akanksha of Bilaspur, who is undergoing training at Adarsh College of Education here.

Director of the College for Education Prof Dewinder Singh says that unlike other states, the J-K B.Ed colleges do not come under the purview of the National Council of Teachers Education (NTCE) Act and, therefore, they do not have an entrance test on the pattern of NTCE which many fail to clear.

In Jammu, many of them have already joined courses and applications have also piled up in various colleges for fresh batches to start in Srinagar. A majority of them have also got themselves registered well in advance at various hostels in Srinagar. “I cannot take the risk of staying alone in rented accommodation. So I have already registered myself in a hostel. In a group you feel more secure,” says Aradhana, who recently is going back to her native town to return once the session starts.

The advertisements issued by Kashmir University and Jammu University inviting applications for the B.Ed courses are the bait. “God has provided them an opportunity, and by preventing them from coming here, we would have ruined their career and future,” says Ram Dass, father of a candidate.

The courses cost Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000. “My parents forced me to come here. They were worried that I would cross the marriageable age before I could qualify for the exams,” said Nirupama of Shimla.

“As I failed to get admission in Jammu, I applied for a seat in the Valley. The night before I went there, I could not sleep. The fear of militancy was too overwhelming, but I was also worried about the plight of my parents,” recalls Chandan of Solan.

Vinodhi, in charge of the management at Caset College of Education, Karan Nagar, Srinagar, said earlier there were more applications from boys. “But now the number of girls from other states applying for this course has gone up,” she says.

As a result, most of the non-government B.Ed colleges in the Valley are now advertising for Punjabi and Hindi lecturers in the Valley. “There is a dearth of trained teachers in these subjects. Many had left when militancy was at its peak. So for these private colleges there was no option but toemploy retired teachers,” said Nasib, a staff member at the Sarfaraz College of Education, Baghat Barzulla, Srinagar.