In the recent weeks, a disheartening revelation shook the Kashmiri student community. The incident exposed how unsuspecting Kashmiri students were deceived by a reputable Desh Bhagat University (DBU) of Punjab into enrolling in an unrecognised college within the campus of the University. The fallout from this debacle, including student protests met with force and legal action, underscores the pressing need for change in the higher education landscape of Jammu and Kashmir.
As the issue came to limelight, the inspection of the college, conducted by the competitive authorities also revealed that the university authorities had enrolled students exceeding the number of seats allotted by the Indian Nursing Council (INC). After the fraud was exposed, the government penalised the University administration and assured to secure the future of students as well.
The Government of Punjab, directed the Chancellor DBU to pay a substantial fine of Rs. 10 lakh to each student who has been enrolled over and above the prescribed number of seats in its nursing institutes. The directive came in response to the university’s blatant violation of admission regulations, causing trauma and dislocation to affected students, majority of them from Kashmir. This is not the first instance were Valley students have been subjected to mental agony for none of their faults. There are other episodes which highlight the student grievances.
Kashmiri students, year after year, face numerous challenges when they leave the Valley to pursue higher education in colleges and Universities outside J&K.
From intimidation to institutional issues, their journey is fraught with difficulties. Approximately Rs 1500 crore leaves the Valley annually as thousands of students migrate to other states to pursue professional and higher studies.
The recent incident involving the fraudulent university admission and overcrowding, along with past instances of harassment faced by Kashmiri students outside the Jammu and Kashmir, underscore the urgency of reform in the region’s higher education sector.
Going back to 2020 situation that arose post nationwide lockdown called in view of Covid-19 pandemic, the J&K government itself stated that over 10,000 Kashmiri students stranded outside in different states registered their names for their return to Valley.
These figures excluded hundreds of those students who returned to valley from outside states days before the lockdown was imposed across India and other students stranded abroad.
The issue about students moving out came to fore in 2019 as well after Kashmiri students pursuing academic and professional courses in different colleges in outside states returned to Valley after facing intimidation and physical assault by mobs in different states including Uttrakhand and Hayrana post Pulwama attack which took place in February 2019.
While the government has taken some steps by establishing new 52 government degree colleges, this is not enough.
Besides establishing new colleges, the government should have prioritized establishing 10 to 20 professional colleges in Valley which could have served the purpose of providing education to those students who find no option to stay here for pursuing their higher studies. Instead of offering same old courses in new colleges, the government should have done an assessment to ascertain the relevance of the courses as per the market demand which could have stopped the brain drain.
Another option available with the government is to encourage the private education sector to set up degree colleges in Valley. If we take look at some top notch private schools in Valley, they can easily start undergraduate courses in their institutions given the availability of the land and infrastructure, which is most probably much more than what is available in some of the government-run degree colleges.
In 1996, the government allowed establishment of B.Ed Colleges by relaxing rules following which scores of colleges gradually built their infrastructure.
Same procedure can be for establishment of private colleges with a deadline to develop infrastructure within two to three years because the government itself followed the same procedure for starting academic session in newly established colleges. All the newly established colleges have been started either in rented accommodations or from make shift arrangements.
The government has received several proposals from the Private School Association of Jammu and Kashmir (PSAJK) for establishing new private colleges in Valley, but there has been no breakthrough in it.
The situation could have been vastly different if the Valley had its own private colleges offering professional and job-oriented courses. The move will provide education to students who currently have no choice but to leave Valley to pursue higher studies.
Private schools in the Valley, with ample land and infrastructure, could easily start undergraduate courses, potentially offering more than some government-run degree colleges.
Another viable solution available for the J&K government is to negotiate with the Government of India (GoI) to extend the benefits of Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS) to local colleges. This would prevent students from leaving their homes to access educational benefits, which are currently benefiting colleges outside the Jammu and Kashmir.
Going back to 2020, the Government introduced the much hyped Education Investment Policy (EIP) saying that the policy holds the potential to transform Jammu and Kashmir’s educational landscape.
The government’s pledge to create a single-window clearance system for investors to establish private universities and colleges could greatly benefit the state. However, the promises made under the EIP have largely remained on paper, with minimal progress on the ground.
The EIP aimed to elevate Jammu and Kashmir as a knowledge hub, with a focus on improving educational standards and creating a conducive environment for state-of-the-art knowledge institutes.
The overview of the policy claimed to make J&K a new axis for knowledge, by developing its human resource, institutional capacity and creating a favorable eco-system for the establishment of state-of-the-art knowledge institutes of national and global repute.
The government had also discredited the existing educational institutions in J&K saying that the colleges and the universities in J&K were lagging behind in providing all-round development and exposure to the students.
The government had stated 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 institutes here.
Despite acknowledging that students seek education outside the state due to perceived quality issues, the government is yet to translate these words into action.
To conclude, the recent episode of Kashmiri students being duped by a prestigious university highlights the systemic issues plaguing higher education in Jammu and Kashmir.
To empower Kashmiri students and stem the exodus of funds and talent from the Valley, it is imperative to allow private colleges to flourish and introduce job-oriented courses in existing government degree colleges. The government must act swiftly to transform its education policies into tangible opportunities for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, securing their futures and contributing to the growth of Jammu and Kashmir.