The ‘J&K Education Investment Policy 2020’ has suggested a number of measures to raise the educational standards in the UT.
While maintaining that the colleges and the universities in J&K were lagging behind in providing all-round development and exposure to the students, the policy envisages roping in of private players of national and international repute to set up educational institutes in J&K.
In policy document, the government states that the youth in J&K were looking at colleges and universities outside because the higher education institutes in other states and UTs “have better quality of education as compared to the regional institutes”.
“Every year, around 60,000 students pass class 12th and out of them more than 15,000 seek admissions in colleges outside J&K, highlighting a glaring gap in the education infrastructure of the UT at the college and university level,” reads the document.
The 24 page document was earlier reviewed at a meeting chaired by principal secretary, school education department and attended among others by the officers from different departments, divisional commissioner, VC of universities, secretary higher education department, directors of school education, representatives from private school association J&K.
The education investment policy states that most of the 208 private unaided colleges set up in J&K over the past years don’t have the infrastructure in place, while some have not been made functional yet.
The present scenario of education has thrown up a major challenge for the J&K government to meet the student demands and stop their migration to outside states.
In this backdrop, the policy envisages that the government will provide handholding support throughout the process of setting up of educational initiatives including smart schools and campuses, residential schools and colleges, technical education institutes, private colleges and universities in J&K.
Under the new policy, the government intends to give due preference to reputed players in the field of education willing to set up universities in J&K. “Government will facilitate allotment of land in UT from the specified available land bank and will coordinate with the concerned departments for the required approvals and clearances to facilitate the process of setting up educational institutes in J&K,” the policy document reads.
Under the policy, J&K envisions to become the new axis for knowledge by creating a favourable eco-system for the establishment of state-of-the-art knowledge institutes of national and global repute.
“J&K aspires to create a trained workforce of creative, culturally competent and critically reflective human capital who contributes to every sphere of scientific, cultural and human development in the country and worldwide,” reads the overview of the policy.
“The J&K government is committed to provide quality education to transform J&K as the hub of educational activities and initiatives in northern India,” it reads.
As part of the new policy, the government will invite private players both of national and international repute for setting up centres of excellence and educational institutes in various academic and professional streams.
With regard to the upgradation of the syllabus and curriculum, the school, higher and technical education institutions will update the course curriculum to be in line with the emerging technologies and current requirements of the industry.
“New courses will be introduced for entrepreneurship development. Efforts will be made to engage industry experts to teach specialized elective courses at higher and technical education institutions as part of the degree courses being offered by the respective institutions,” the policy reads.
The government, under the new policy, will also overcome the existing infrastructural gaps in schools, colleges, technical education institutions and universities.
“A special scheme of facility upgradation shall be introduced for the purpose to deliver the curriculum and conduct the activities as per global best practices in pedagogy,” it reads.