EDUCATION

With Kashmir University campus embroiled in academic uncertainty amid the start of the new academic session in Jammu and Kashmir, the varsity teachers have reiterated their passionate appeal to LG to make the final selection of the new Vice-Chancellor without any more delay "to save this institution from prevailing anarchy and further academic decay". Senior teachers who spoke to news agency KNT hailed the LG Manoj Sinha, who is Chancellor of KU, for being "conscious of importance of academic institutions and their significance for the nation-building". "We are confident that J&K administration led by Honourable LG would never wish to see an academic institution as old as Kashmir University decaying vis-a-vis academics and research day by day especially when the new academic sess...

The University Grants Commission (UGC) sought a report from the Sharda University on Monday about an "objectionable" question asked by it in an exam on similarities between Hindutva and fascism. The higher education regulator has asked the Greater Noida-based private university to explain in the detailed action-taken report the steps taken by it to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future. "It has been noticed that the students objected to the question and filed a complaint with the university. Needless to say that asking students such a question is against the spirit and ethos of our country, which is known for inclusivity and homogeneity and such questions have not been asked," the UGC said in a communication to the Sharda University. The Political Science (Honours) qu...

Lone Shahid ul Islam A government school building is in shambles for a long due to official apathy from the School Education Department. The building of the government middle school Budden Rafiabad in education zone Baramulla is in shambles for the past few years and despite several representations to the concerned Department by the locals, the Administration has paid no heed to the demands of the public. “The construction of the new building started in the year 2011 but we are still waiting for the completion of the building. This new building comprising four classrooms was taken up to lintel level but the roof was not laid and since then it is standing incomplete and has turned inoperable," a Mehraj u Din, a resident told The Kashmiriyat. He said that even though the wall...

The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) has said that it will provide additional 20 minutes per hour to the special abled students appearing in board exams. According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), JKBOSE official has said, “An additional 20 minutes per hour of examination for each of the subject shall be provided to the Children With Special Needs (CWSN) to compensate for additional time required for reading by the amanuensis, understanding the question, fatigue while dictating to the Amanuensis, sitting continuously, etcetera.” The board official also said that if the condition indicated in the medical certificate specified requires a short break, a break of not more than ten minutes per hour will be permitted in addition to the existing 20 minutes...

Kashmir University is presently waiting for the new Vice-Chancellor to take the control of the institution where alleged academic waywardness and administrative indiscipline have become the order of the day, even as senior teachers in the university have appealed to LG to make the final selection without any delay. Notably, the Search Committee constituted by Raj Bhawan in December last year to find the new VC for the Kashmir University has already submitted a panel of three names to the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on April 23 for choosing the final candidate. Sources told KNT that these three candidates are Prof. Mujeebur Rahman Khan, Dr. Seemi Farhat Basir and Prof Farooq Masoodi. The panel is submitted as per the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Universities Act 1969, wh...

Among all States and Union Territories of India, Jammu Kashmir is standing on the 7th and 3rd last position for having the disproportionate Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) at Primary and Upper Primary Level respectively. Besides, the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir is also ranked at 8th last position for having the disproportionate PTR. However, at Senior Secondary Level, Jammu and Kashmir is at the thirteenth position for having a better PTR. According to the official figures available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the PTR in Jammu and Kashmir at Primary level is 1:15 followed by 1:9 at Upper Primary Level. Similarly, at Secondary Level, the Union Territory has a PTR of 1:12. However, the official figures reveal that at the Senior Secondary level, th...

The career of hundreds of students has been put at stake by St. Joseph Higher Secondary School in Baramulla district of north Kashmir due to the suspension of the teaching process. The teachers and other staff members of the school have been on strike for the past one week demanding a pay hike along with other demands, due to which the administration of the school has called off the classes. The teachers allege that the school administration promises to increase staff salaries by 6 per cent annually, but this process has been stopped after the covid 19 pandemic in the last two years. "The school administration recently announced a nominal increase in our salaries, which is not acceptable to us," a teacher said. Classes were suspended all the classes on Saturday and since then, the...

The students enrolled in the Master of Education (M.Ed) degree course at the Central University of Kashmir (CUK) have appealed to the varsity authorities to issue them Identity Cards. As per the aggrieved students of M.Ed 3rd Semester, the university has denied them I-Cards since they took admission and their session commenced in April 2021. A student, who wished not to be named, told news agency Kashmir News Trust (KNT), “The university authorities gave us a paper on which our details were mentioned along with our photograph in the 2nd Semester, but after that, we didn’t receive any official I-Card.” “It is an irony to realize that our degree is likely to be completed in December this year and we have been consistently denied the university I-Cards. Earlier, they blamed the pande...

Two Primary Schools in South Kashmir's Anantnag district are facing staff shortage due to which students admitted in the schools are suffering. Locals from Frislana Pahalgam area told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that just two teachers have been deputed to Govt Primary School Banpora Frislana to teach students from primary department to class 6. They said that people in the area are financially weak and cannot afford to send their kids to private schools. Over 50 students are admitted in the school but there are just two teachers and they are unable to manage the school. “We have brought our genuine demand into notice of higher ups several times to no avail,” locals added. Similarly, locals from Check-e-Dadoo in Sangam area of south Kashmir's Anantnag said that a sc...

The University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) have asked Indian students not to pursue higher education in Pakistan. In a joint notification issued on Friday the UGC and AICTE said that students pursuing higher education in Pakistan shall not be eligible for employment or further studies in India. "All concerned are advised not to travel to Pakistan for pursuing higher education. Any Indian national or Overseas Citizen of India who intends to take admission to any degree college or educational institution of Pakistan shall not be eligible for seeking employment or higher studies in India on the basis of such educational qualification (in any subject) acquired in Pakistan," the advisory read. "However, migrants and their children w...