J&K takes steps to give big boost to higher education

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has taken a slew of measures in the education sector, especially in higher education, to achieve maximum results in minimum time.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has been instructing the administration periodically in Jammu and Kashmir to make the education sector vibrant so that it addresses the new needs of time. Recently, he told the media that his administration has added 25,000 seats with establishment of 50 new colleges across Jammu and Kashmir, making it the largest seat addition in the last so many decades here.

All senior officers in schools and higher education have been told to implement all schemes and projects, envisaging a notable improvement in the existing curriculum, besides embarking upon various innovative new projects and works. Principal Secretary of higher education Rohit Kansal and Commissioner Secretary of skill education Dr Asgar Samoon have been working on the ground to bring the education system on modern lines by imparting skill education.

They recently told the media that their efforts would be to focus on value-based education, creating an environment for individual growth apart from scientific and technological knowledge. They said that there has been a shift in the curriculum at universities and it is having its impact both on students and teachers. “The administration has been working to create a perfect balance between students and teachers for shaping young minds through a value-based knowledge system,” both the senior officers told the media.

Recently, at a function organized by NAAC in collaboration with the Central University of Kashmir (CUK), Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that universities and colleges have immense power and a small shift in curriculum can have a decisive impact on the socio-economic environment.
He said that he has instructed the administration, especially the officers in the education sector, to introduce new reforms to meet the requirements of the rapidly transforming education system and the changing market dynamics. He talked about the tireless efforts of his administration to bring quality education to the underprivileged section of the society who were long deprived of their rights. “With implementation of NEP, a national pattern of syllabus followed by other states and Union Territories will be introduced in Jammu and Kashmir. Syllabus and format approved by the University Grants Commission (UGC) will be applicable in the UT,” Manoj Sinha was quoted in media outlets.

Sunday Guardian