Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Gangtok: Sikkim University’s Department of Mass Communication faces a crisis. Only three students enrolled for the 2026 batch, despite the department having a sanctioned capacity of 22. Professor Mahendra P. Lama, a founder of the department, views the drop as proof of institutional decay. "How sad. This was one of the most vibrant mass communication centres in the country," Lama stated after local reports exposed the slide.
The numbers reveal a steady collapse. Enrolment sat at 19 in 2020, then slipped to 16 in 2021, 12 in 2022, and 11 in 2023. The transition to the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) accelerated this trend. In 2024, the department started with nine students, but transfers to other central universities dropped the final count to five. Regular counselling brought in 11 students for 2025 before the 2026 intake crashed to three.
Other departments remain robust. Economics boasts 19 students, Psychology has 21, Geography holds 20, Political Science has 21, and Commerce has 21. Former scholars suggest CUET allows students to shop around, leaving smaller departments behind. Lama argues the problem runs deeper than testing systems. He points to the erosion of faculty, the decay of laboratory infrastructure, and the loss of once-strong ties to Doordarshan, NDTV, and the Film and Television Institute of India.
Lama once built the department by recruiting top experts and designing courses tailored to mountain and border regions. That foundation has cracked. The department now struggles to keep its head above water while institutional support fades.
Comments