Jammu and Kashmir - Status of Higher Education in J&K

From- http://www.greaterkashmir.com

There are many educational institutions including two Central, few State and Technical Universities, and many academic and professional colleges within the state. There are medical, technical, dental, management and other professional and career building institutions in the state. The role of these institutions is to impart academic and professional education to the student fraternity so that they learn the way of
life and direct their career in a particular subject of their interest. These Universities and Colleges receive the funding from UGC and other financial agencies for the development of institutions and betterment of students and staff working therein. The purpose of this funding by such agencies is to provide quality education to the students.

Most of these institutions are striving hard to cope up with these conditions to a make their level better for the student community but few of these lack this potential to cater to the needs of students so that they can stand on their own legs and get a better option of learning and earning in their future lives.

The reason behind the lagging back of such institutions is that they do not follow the official norms and rules as per the UGC guidelines. For instance, these institutions don’t complete admissions and declare results within a particular period and their evaluation is not satisfactory and up to mark as assessed by the students enrolled in Universities and Colleges. If we exemplify a particular University, the authorities have failed to evaluate and declare the result within a period of 10 or 11 months. Recently, this University declared the result of M.A. English 3rd Semester after a gap of 11 months in October, 2011. The students were waiting for the last 8 months for their results as it is the guideline of UGC to declare the result in short period so that a student completes his P.G. Degree within a period of two years. But this University has crossed that limit and put the career of its students at stake for nothing. Even the students have taken the fourth semester examination in April–May 2011 but there is no knowledge of result declaration. The students are wailing over their fates because of the heedlessness of this University authorities. They don’t take pains in thinking about the future of students who get admission within the state so that they may be preferred for further higher education and employment opportunities in Jammu and Kashmir.  

Correspondingly the students who are denied admission in the state Universities go outside the J&K for admissions to different Universities wherefrom they get good marks and percentage as compared to that in J&K where the students get lesser marks and grades. Moreover, their result is declared with a period of two months after their examination whereas a student of this University has normally to wait for four years to complete his degree that too with meager percentage. So they are made handicapped for two more years to wait for their final result. Hence the pass-outs of these J&K Universities are not able to go for higher studies or search job opportunities. Instead the pass-outs from outer Universities do get easily enrollment for higher studies like M.Phil and Ph.D. in any Indian University. They can apply for any job and get higher merit by recruiting agencies like JKPSC. JKSSRB. Banks, Universities, etc. and grab higher positions.

Hence it is an appeal to the authorities of our State Universities to make reforms in their evaluation and result system so that the common students do not suffer and wait for a couple of months for their results and do not face mental agony. The examination should be conducted well in time and the papers evaluated as early as possible and the results declared within a short period as per the guidelines of University Grants Commission, Delhi so that the students may not have a bad impression of the university functioning.  

Rayaz Ahmed Malik is a Computer Engineer at Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Rajouri