Srinagar: Private institutions may now be authorised to take up undergraduate and postgraduate courses which are either not being taught at government institutions or have very low intake capacity in the Kashmir Valley. The state government has constituted a committee to identify the modalities to pave an easy way forward for the new approach.
The nine-member committee is to submit its recommendations to its administrative department within a month. Director colleges, dean academic from both Kashmir and Jammu universities, nodal principals and representatives of private colleges will be part of the committee to study the proposal.
“The committee will see the existing infrastructure of private colleges to check their eligibility for authorising them to start new courses,” a secretary-level officer in the Higher Education department told Kashmir Reader. “They will also recommend requirements needed for private colleges to have facilities for having these courses available for teaching.”
At present colleges, particularly in rural areas, do not offer courses in all subjects. Students either have to move to the city or go outside the state for education in certain subjects. For instance, in Srinagar city, all colleges do not offer courses in history, political science and English literature. The unavailability of courses compels a student to switch from his preferred subject to one of less interest.
The officer said the committee was ordered a few days ago. A member of the committee said that if the recommendations are accepted, a lot of students will stay in Kashmir for studies which will boost the financial conditions of private institutions and also create jobs.
“For a long time, the government was pushing for introducing new courses. Doing it by itself is a big deal for the government. It was due to the commissioner secretary education that this began to be possible. To do it through private colleges, introduction of new courses is easier. We will be waiting for the recommendations,” the officer said.
[“Source-kashmirreader”]
