Universities and the Mission Youth

While launching the “ District Good Governance Index” on January 22, 2022, the Home Minister Mr Amit Shah stated that “Mission Youth” is playing significant role in connecting the youth in Jammu and Kashmir. The initiative is a flagship programme of the administration to enhance engagement of the youth, and also to ensure their social assimilation.

The Lt. Governor Mr Manoj Sinha emphasised on the role of youth in bringing a positive change in the society. The experts and the students of public policy, as also the common people, shall definitely be watching the effectiveness of this empowerment programme; also the deficiencies in its implementation.

   

Meanwhile, for the Mission to be effective universities in Jammu and Kashmir can be roped in to further fine-tune the scheme at a time when youth have simply stopped looking for jobs.

Introduction

“Mission Youth” entails that young generation’s perceptions must factor into the government policy at all levels viz, education, health, economy etc. The administration intends establishment of youth clubs at Panchayat level and commencement of two state-of-the-art coaching centers in Jammu and Kashmir to impart coaching for civil services and other competitive examinations under ‘PARVAAZ’ – a livelihood generation scheme. The state also intends to establish fifty model community entrepreneur units by 2021-22. As per estimates provided by Mission Director more than 12,000 youth have received self-employment benefits worth 252,00 crore in last five months. My impression is that “Mission Youth” may yield better results if younger generation’s perceptions also factor into the working of universities. The youth need a presence in the decision-making institutions in the university and also in the type of programmes being offered in the universities. The Higher Education institutions need to give up their tag as ivory towers and listen to the voices of the youth.

Youth Cohort

The youth bulge in our region is projected to persist for at least another three decades. It can be an asset or a drag, a stabilising force or an earthquake, for the states and societies , depending on how effectively we involve them in the task of reconciliation, reconstruction and rehabilitation.

According to government of India youth is the age group between 13 to 35 years. The United Nations General Assembly defines youth falling in the age bracket of 15 to 24 years. In Jammu and Kashmir 69 percent population below 35 years has a role to play in the socio-economic transformation of the region, and universities as public institutions cannot isolate themselves from this task. The young people are least satisfied with democracy – much more disaffected than the previous generations. They are more frustrated with incompetence, corruption and an attitude of helplessness around them.

The University of Kashmir

The university was established in 1948 and bifurcated into Jammu, and Kashmir Universities in 1969. “The University of Kashmir is committed to ensure excellence by achieving high quality outcomes in all its endeavors through continuous process of introspection” (KU website).

Looking back the university played an important role after 1948 in socio-economic transformation of the state. At one time Punjab University, Lahore and Aligarh Muslim University hosted Kashmiri students, and most of our political leaders and administrators were educated there. While even today young go out to different parts of the world in search of quality education but the University of Kashmir plays the pivotal role.

It is probably for the first time in its history that each one of us in the university are called upon to do some genuine self introspection and come out with a road map that can make meaningful difference to the lives of young men and women pursuing different programmes. The type of education offered at KU suffers from suboptimal governance and is in need of sharp fine-tuning.

There is lack of native/local presence in curriculum and pedagogy, and also in theoretical and conceptual concentration. We should have long ago designed and offered a course on “The Economy of Srinagar City”, and “Local Arts and Crafts” in the school of Management Studies. It should be a matter of concern for us as to why residential areas surrounding Kashmir university viz, Saida Kadal, Sadrebal, Dobi Ghat have abysmally low literacy levels in the valley? The fact is that walls between university and society need to be demolished and our courses need to be aligned with living realities of the society.

The university cannot be only a degree manufacturing factory without giving serious thought to type of products being produced and supplied to the market. When countries respond to large youth cohorts by expanding tertiary education, this may produce a much larger group of highly educated youths than can be accommodated in the economy. Unless the government is able and willing to absorb a surplus of university graduates into the public sector as was done by many governments, the prevailing unemployment among highly educated youth segments may cause frustration and social chaos.

These youth become more vulnerable to social evils during periods of economic decline. The cultivation of an honest work culture in any society is significant. It is true of nations as well. Switzerland had just cows and mountains but they created a new culture helping the country towards development. Japan got devastated in World War II and frequent earthquakes. It had no natural resources but hard work made the nation survive and prosper. In our neighborhood China has made it a part of the culture that everybody has to work. In Global North viz, United States of America universities are a “miniature world”. Students earn credits by volunteering to work as florists, receptionists etc. We need start -ups inside the campus.

We have to support students from learning to earning. The university can support students to translate their academic knowledge into skills for the workplace. In my own class in December 2021 in a reply to a direct question “around 95 percent students viewed career planning as extremely important aspect of university education”. But this doesn’t imply that production of employable youth is the principle task of the university.

Historically universities are there to hold mirror to the society and other institutions that matter to human culture and civilization. Be that as it may, universities cannot be isolated from the larger environment in which these have to work. The Home Minister in 2021 asked the “youth in Kashmir to have ambitious targets in life and access opportunities” This is possible only if the state and governments perform two-fold task that too is an index of good governance

State Responsibility

First, state is there to liberate the citizen from fear and allow him to enjoy basic rights viz, life, liberty and property. Kashmiri youth have been at the receiving end of the anti-national label for too long. The youth have a sense of discrimination and also suffer religious and regional profiling in other parts of India. The state actors and governments need to think creatively about liberation of the civilian space from an intrusive state. There are many studies which have found that almost 60 percent killings in 2010 were avoidable. The response of the state must change with regard to legitimate democratic protest. The Supreme Court of India on April 10, 2013 in a case related to Manipur ruled that “unjustified killings were bound to occur if there is prolonged use of armed forces”. As per an IMF report ‘youth inactivity rate in India is 30 percent while as it is 25 percent in other developing countries’. The latest economic survey points out that one requires fewer documents to buy a gun in India than to open a small hotel. We need to move from a paradigm of domination to non-domination in Jammu and Kashmir. Democracy is a complete way of life. It is freedom from hunger and humiliation. John Keane put it beautifully that “democracy is saying no to every form of human and non-human indignity”.

Second, “Kashmiri youth are to be made politically empowered, socially responsible, ethically aware and economically independent citizens” (Dr Haseeb Drabu). The Kashmiri youth face economic insecurity. Their social and economic mobility has declined due to internal and external circumstances. A combination of jobless growth, sharp annual increases in the cost of living, a rapidly globalizing world and global economic trends that favor robots and algorithms over real people has created more economic insecurity and anxiety about future in the youth population. We need an urgent conversation and national consensus on prioritizing the economic security and financial stability of Kashmiri youth. We need to integrate their dynamism, creativity and power and provide them space in the emerging arenas of new economy viz, hospitality, information technology, green jobs and infrastructure-building etc. There is need for time, technology, tact, talent, and more importantly truthfulness, to rebuild the Kashmir society which has become harsh, punitive, withdrawn, fearful and extremely distrustful.

What should we do? Philosophers are busy in interpreting the world but the question is how to change it? The university may have to sign a new social contract with the youth. We need to see that demographic dividend does not become a demographic disaster.

Prof Wani teaches Political Science at Kashmir university

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.

The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK

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