All Sümi Students Union (SKK) staging protest outside the Nagaland Legislative Assembly on March 6. The protest is being held on the expiry of their ultimatum for upgradation of Kheloshe Polytechnic Atoizu. (Morung Photo)
Kohima, March 6 (MExN): The Nagaland Students' Federation (NSF) has urged the Chief Minister of Nagaland to expedite the long-pending upgradation of Khelhoshe Polytechnic, Atoizu (KPA), into a full-fledged engineering college.
In a representation, it highlighted that KPA, established in 1972, has played a crucial role in producing skilled professionals contributing to the state's development.
Despite its legacy, the institution remains confined to diploma-level courses, forcing students to pursue technical education outside Nagaland, causing financial strain on families and contributing to brain drain, it noted.
The federation also reminded that the State Cabinet had approved the introduction of a Civil Engineering Degree Course at KPA in its meeting on December 17, 2007, along with a resolution for its upgradation to an engineering college. However, the decision has not been implemented even after more than a decade, it said.
The NSF further highlighted that as per the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) guidelines, polytechnic institutions with over five years of existence are eligible for upgradation to engineering colleges.
With over 50 years of history, KPA meets these criteria, the NSF stated in the representation appended by its President Medovi Rhi and Assistant General Secretary Kenilo Kent.
Calling the upgradation both an academic necessity and a strategic move for Nagaland’s progress, the NSF urged the State Government to implement the approved plan without further delay.
