The Kashmir Pulse

PULWAMA — The Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) has announced the introduction of cutting-edge Master's and four-year Undergraduate programs aimed at students keen on exploring the realms of science and contemporary technology.

Under the auspices of the Schools of Sciences and Technology, these programs are meticulously crafted in alignment with the directives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Designed to foster interdisciplinary learning, the courses will employ innovative teaching methodologies, providing students with multiple entry and exit options.

Prof. Shakil Ahmad Romshoo, Vice Chancellor of IUST, emphasized the significance of these courses in meeting the demands of the modern job market.

He underscored their potential to enhance employability prospects for enrolled students, highlighting the integration of participants into early-stage innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems. Moreover, he stressed the university's commitment to facilitating experiential learning through robust industry-academia collaborations.

Prof. A. H. Moon, Dean of Academic Affairs, revealed that the Admission Notice for the academic session 2024 will be released shortly. Prospective candidates are advised to monitor the university's official website regularly for updates regarding application procedures and deadlines.

SRINAGAR — To comply with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) expert committee in its 578th meeting has decided that the National Eligibility Test (NET) score can be used for admission to PhD programmes instead of entrance tests from the academic session 2024-25.

As per the news agency CNS, UGC in its public notice said, “The University Grants Commission conducts the National Eligibility Test (NET) through the National Testing Agency (NTA). The NET is conducted twice a year, in June and December. The NET scores are used (a) to award Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and (b) Assistant Professor for those with a Master’s degree.”

It further said that many universities conduct their entrance tests for admission to their PhD programmes, requiring the students to write multiple PhD entrance tests. To help the students with one national entrance test for PhD admissions as a part of implementing the National Education Policy 2020, the UGC constituted an expert committee to review the provisions of the National Eligibility Test (NET).

“Based on the expert committee's recommendations, in its 578th meeting held on March 13, 2024, the UGC has decided that from the academic session 2024-25, the NET score can be used for admission to PhD programmes in place of entrance tests conducted by the different universities/HEIs,” the UGC added in the public notice.

SRINAGAR — The Administrative Council (AC) which met here under the chairmanship of the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, gave a nod to the Jammu and Kashmir Public University Bill, 2022.

Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor and Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, J&K attended the meeting.

With the view to address the issues regarding a wide variety of universities in J&K and separate Acts governing each university or group of universities with existing regulations, the government intends to frame a common Public University Bill which would apply to all public universities of UT of J&K.

Further the National Education Policy-2020 (NEP-2020) envisions an education system rooted in Indian ethos that contributes directly to transforming India, sustainably into an equitable and vibrant knowledge society, by providing high-quality education to all, and thereby making India a global knowledge superpower.

The NEP 2020, moreover envisages fundamental transformation in the structure of higher education by mandating the transformation of all affiliated colleges to either multidisciplinary research or teaching universities or degree-awarding autonomous institutions by 2035.

The salient features of the current draft includes emphasis on uniformity and flexibility in working of all the higher educational institutions. A number of new provisions have also been introduced to make the functioning of universities transparent and accountable through transparent procedures and public disclosures. In order to make the recruitment process fully transparent and merit based, screening by the Public Service Commission and reduction in weightage to interview has been proposed for gazetted positions.

For non-gazetted positions, it has been proposed to do away with interviews altogether and conduct recruitment through the Service Selection Board. Screening/recruitment by Public Service Commission’s/ Service Selection Boards have been introduced in varying measures by other states like Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand etc.

SRINAGAR — Instead of the November-December session, the government is all set to commence with the annual regular Board examinations of 10th and 12th standard from March.

Top officials in the administration informed the news agency KNO that it has shifted the examination session from November-December to March. “In order to bring uniformity in the academic calendar with the national academic calendar, we have decided to conduct all Board exams in March,” the official said.

“Official order in this regard will be issued in a week’s time,” the official added.

Pertinently, the School Education Department earlier in May sought a detailed report from the panel constituted for preparing the uniform academic calendar for both divisions of Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier, Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta said that Jammu and Kashmir will fully implement the National Education Policy (NEP) from the current academic session.

Mehta has also said that the implementation of NEP-2020 will also move to a uniform academic calendar which in turn will be synchronized to the national academic calendar.

In July, the Jammu and Kashmir Higher Education Department (HED) said that Uniform Academic Calendar shall be followed from the academic year 2022-23. Besides, the department has also said that the calendar shall be prominently displayed on the college website.

The HED had also said that in line with the vision of the NEP 2020, it has initiated a series of reforms for improving the quality of learning and teaching in all government institutions.

SRINAGAR — In a major step toward streamlining the academic and examination calendar and bringing the COVID-ravaged academic system back on track, the University of Kashmir has decided to issue advance date sheets henceforth for various undergraduate programmes being offered at the University's affiliated colleges.

This new initiative has been conceived to bring the examination calendar back on track in the minimum possible time, and ensure timely completion of UG programmes and consequent award of degrees to the students without any delays.

The Controller of Examinations, University of Kashmir issued Circular instructions to this effect. The advance preparation of the calendar would enable the holding of the respective examinations within the time frames prescribed and the timely completion of various courses.

It may be recalled that the delay in holding examinations in the past often led to courses being stretched beyond the prescribed timelines, leading to the loss of valuable academic time.

The present move comes days after the government decided to fully implement the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 from the current academic session and shift to a uniform academic calendar which will be synchronised with the national academic calendar.

The Higher Education Department (HED) has already constituted a committee comprising Director Colleges, Dean Academic Affairs (DAA) of Jammu University, Kashmir University and Cluster University of Srinagar and Jammu to prepare a uniform calendar for J&K. The recommendations of the committee are expected this week.

The new academic calendar would ensure that no student is at disadvantage and is able to apply to any college across the country or overseas for graduate and post-graduate studies seamlessly.

It may also be recalled that the University Grants Commission (UGC) has already issued draft guidelines for the introduction of the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP) in accordance with NEP 2020 guidelines from the current academic session onwards. The final guidelines are expected within two weeks.

SRINAGAR — With an aim to reform the educational ecosystem and infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir, the largest single addition of education capacity in 70 years was done with the addition of new 25000 seats in 50 new colleges in one year only.

The present administration under Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha is creating one of the best infrastructures for higher education in the country. “Two colleges of architecture and one engineering college were also established. IIT and IIM were established in record time,” official documents said.

The government is bringing reforms for the transformation of the education ecosystem by bridging the gaps and openings up opportunities for the younger generation. The focus of the Government has been value-based education; creating an environment for individual growth apart from scientific and technological knowledge.

“We are working to create a perfect balance between students and teachers for shaping the young minds through a value-based knowledge system,” an official of the School Education Department said.

Speaking at a book launch of “Analysis of Accreditation Reports of Union Territories - Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh” by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) during a function organised by NAAC in collaboration with the Central University of Kashmir (CUK), Lieutenant Governor (LG), Manoj Sinha said that the Universities and Colleges have immense power and a small shift in the curriculum can have a decisive impact on the socio-economic environment.

The Lieutenant Governor observed that the world is heading towards an era that will be dominated by the knowledge economy, our biggest asset would be the human capital, a combination of talent, skill, and creativity.

“Our biggest and strongest asset has to be the human capital, a combination of talent, skill, and creativity,” Manoj Sinha, said. “The UT government is consistently reforming the educational system with new tools to produce required skill sets.”

The education sector in UT is being reformed to meet the requirements of the rapidly transforming education system and the changing market dynamics. The shift in the curriculum at universities and colleges can have a decisive impact on the socio-economic environment of J&K.

An official said that efforts are continuing to improve the courses in universities and colleges to create a conducive environment for learning and innovation with the aim to empower every student with technical and social skills to develop entrepreneurial thinking.

Highlighting the need to introduce new reforms to meet the requirements of the rapidly transforming education system and the changing market dynamics, the Lieutenant Governor said, “The universities and colleges have immense power and a small shift in the curriculum can have a decisive impact on the socio-economic environment.”

With the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020, more than 2500 kindergartens were established and another 2000 are being established under Capex Budget. 80,000 students are already enrolled in pre-pre-primary classes in 9000 government primary schools.

According to statistics of the Education department, 9643 government schools from 6th to 8th classes were mapped with adjoining high and higher secondary schools for providing basic skills on vocational courses taught in 803 vocational labs. Every teacher will mentor 10 students in primary classes under the Student-Teacher Mentorship initiative launched in J&K with a focus on Foundation and Numerical Literacy.

SRINAGAR — Jammu and Kashmir will fully implement the National Education Policy (NEP) from the current academic session. It will also move to a uniform academic calendar which in turn will be synchronized with the national academic calendar. In addition, the four-year undergraduate programme as per UGC guidelines would be introduced in colleges of J&K from the current academic session.

This was unanimously agreed to in a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, to review and discuss modalities for the implementation of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting also decided that the centralized admission test CUET would be mandatory for all admissions in J&K from the next academic session. In addition, all higher education institutions would move towards progressively greater autonomy.

The meeting had a thorough exchange of ideas on steps to be taken for the implementation of this ambitious nationwide policy in J&K.

The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary, Higher Education, Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary, School Education, Sh. B. K. Singh, Vice Chancellors of various universities of the UT and other senior officers of the Higher Education and School Education Department.

Dr Mehta said that the current year would be a transformational year with respect to the education system and important changes would be required in the process. He said that the UT will implement the NEP from April 1 and sought suggestions from VCs about the modalities to be adopted for making a smooth transition in its implementation.

The VCs unanimously suggested the need to synchronize the academic calendar with the national academic calendar and move to a single calendar. They said that the adoption of a uniform calendar system would not only enable the students from J-K to compete with students in the rest of the country for admissions to top institutions but also save valuable time.

The Chief Secretary advised the universities to ensure the implementation of the calendar in such a way so as not to lead to any disruptions or loss of time. He also advised them to start the admissions process as soon as possible and also offer foundational courses to the students in line with the NEP.

Asserting that universities have a great role to play in research and vocational development, the Chief Secretary said that universities should become a centre of innovation and students instead of chasing government jobs should become innovators and job creators. He said that the government will provide every kind of support to all universities in this regard.

He said that the focus of this year's financial budget will be to address the gaps in terms of academic infrastructure and teaching resources. He emphasized greater coordination among higher secondary schools, colleges and universities that only greater coordination and supervision could lead to academic excellence. He said that J&K universities should chase excellence in education and obtain the best possible rankings

He asked the VCs to develop a robust framework for getting feedback from the students as academic feedback is more strongly and consistently related to achievement and quality of higher education. He also stressed the need for a vibrant academic and cultural ecosystem, organizing more intra and inter University competitions and healthy campus life.

Principal Secretary Higher Education briefed the meeting regarding the various steps being taken for the implementation of the NEP. He informed the meeting that all degree colleges in J&K would apply for accreditation or provisional registration (PAC) under the NAAC framework this year. In addition, at least 10 Government Degree Colleges across Jammu and Kashmir would identify sister Colleges that would have collaboration with reputed International Institutions to boost faculty and student exchange programs.

From the academic Session 2022-23, 14 Centers of Innovation, Invention, Incubation and Training would be established under Hub and Spoke model. In addition, IIT and IIM Jammu would develop 10 Incubation Centers (each) in Degree Colleges under Hub and Spoke model.

Regarding Learning Management System (LMS), Principal Secretary informed that the J&K Higher education department has launched its own LMS that supports Online Learning for students. In the first phase, 22 GDCS have been connected while all GDCS will be connected with LMS in the next Phase.

It was also informed that J&K Higher Education department has directed all institutions to ensure equitable access to quality education, with a special emphasis on Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs).