Srinagar, Feb 24: Expressing dismay over the lack of infrastructure in the newly created colleges in the state, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Friday said there was no need to create new colleges in the state and the decision was wrong.
“Wrong decisions were taken in the field of education due to which students are suffering. New colleges were set up across the state. Students were enrolled without infrastructure; at the end of the day it were students who had to suffer at the wrong decisions,” Omar said while inaugurating a five-day camp on Innovation of Science Pursuit for Research – Inspire 2012 – at Convocation Complex, University of Kashmir here.
“Many times legislators told me why I didn’t provide something new. My answer would always be: we need to first strengthen what we have already at hand,”
Omar said, adding it was unfortunate that field of education was being linked with politics. “The important fields like education and health have to be always out of politics, but it is unfortunate that we bind education and politics together,” he said.
Asserting that special care was to be taken in the field education, the CM said due to the official negligence education was not provided the way it should have been. “After the creation of new colleges, the staff for those institutions was nowhere,” Omar said, adding colleges and schools should be set up on the basis of some criteria.
Omar said developmental challenges could easily be met if the power of youth was channelized in a proper way. “The youth of state has a lot of potential and they don’t lack in talent. What they lack is exposure and logistical support which is our responsibility to provide them at any cost,” he said.
The CM said difficulties should not deter students in pursuing their dreams. “With the increase in population difficulties will arise but we have to take good care of the problems faced by the student community which we have not taken so far.”
“More students should opt for science as it is the field of manifold opportunities. It is not only related to medicine and engineering, it is much beyond that.”
Omar asked the administrators of Kashmir University to extend the field of research so as to find solutions for problems. “I was startled to see sons and daughters of soil working at Indian Institute of Integrative Medicines (IIIM) Jammu. They are the most brilliant people flanked by alumni of foreign universities,” the CM said, adding Kashmir University should tie-up with IIIM for providing opportunities to students and scholars.
“I wish every student reaches similar and nobler heights. But at the same time it is our duty to deliver infrastructure like laboratories which we will give them,” Omar said.
Stating that a new subject of Disaster Management will be started from this session, Vice-Chancellor Kashmir University, Prof Talat Ahmad, in his presidential address, said in the future the university will help the state government by generating a potential manpower for disaster management.
“Science is going to be the future of the world. For that we are initiating programmers like Inspire. We have to expose the science students to external world so that they understand the realities of the subject and its practicalities and applications. For this five-day camp we have got world-class resource personnel who will be interacting with students and scholars,” he said.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 24 Feb 2012 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:00:00 IST