Higher Education in J

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Higher Education in JK State Issues and
Challenges

• Concluding workshop of the
• 60th General Orientation Course
• UGC-Academic Staff College
• MODERATED BY
• DR GEER M ISHAQ

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1.INNOVATION AND DIVERSIFICATION

• Lack of initiative, innovation, skills,
  independent constructive mindset and creative
  ideals characterize todays system of our
  university education.
• We need to shift from a system that encourages
  memorization in learning processes and
  theoretical explanation to areas that need
  practical illustration.
• Need of the hour is to keep pace with brisk
  technological advancements in teaching learning
  process.
• The role of a teacher in university education
  should change from knowledge disseminator to
  knowledge creator.
• Emphasis should be laid on making university
  education more professional/vocational so as to
  make our pass-outs more acceptable in job markets
  of the world.

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1.INNOVATION AND DIVERSIFICATION

• We also need to diversify our education by making
  more subject combinations available.
• Vertical movement of students has to be
  diversified and made more choice-based.
• For ages same courses are being offered by our
  University departments with little scope for new
  specializations and upcoming programmes.
• We need to offer more specializations in all
  existing subjects and faculties and introduce new
  subjects wherever not available at present, so
  that our students emerge as specialists in
  specific areas rather than ending up being
  generalists.

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1.INNOVATION AND DIVERSIFICATION

• Technology
• Industrial Production, Biomedical Technology,
  Nanotechnology, Metallurgical Technology, Fashion
  Technology, Micro-processor Technology, Embedded
  Systems, Diagnostic Imaging Technology, Hydraulic
  Engineering, Building Automation, Stem Cell
  Technology, Medical Lab Technology, Propulsion
  Technology, Nuclear Science Technology, Hotel
  Management, Harvest Technology, Microbial
  Technology etc.
• Chemistry
• Polymer Chemistry Textile Chemistry Hydro
  Chemistry Electro Chemistry Environmental
  Chemistry Petrochemistry Analytical Chemistry
  Industrial Chemistry Applied Chemistry Pharm.
  Chemistry Chemistry of Natural Products.
• Physics
• Astrophysics Geophysics Nuclear Physics
  Optical Physics Biophysics Particle Physics,
  Materials and Devices, Biosensors, Cosmology,
  Non-linear dynamics etc.
• Botany
• Ethnobotany Paleobotany Economic Botany
  Phytochemistry Phytomedicine Agronomy
  Phytopathology Phytogenetics Bryology
  Phycology Palynology etc.

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1.INNOVATION AND DIVERSIFICATION

• Management
• Rural Management, Urban Management, Hospital
  Management Investment Management Software
  Enterprise Management Management Information
  Systems Insurance Management Education
  Management etc.
• Commerce
• Business Statistics Business Law E-Commerce
  Investments Insurance Corporate Tax Planning
  Agricultural Marketing Consumer Protection
  Rural Finance Credit Advertising
  International Business Entrepreneurship
  Development etc.
• Life Sciences
• Cell Biology, Genetics, Microbiology, Molecular
  Biology, Biophysics and Structural Biology,
  Immunology, Biostatistics, Radiation Biology,
  Virology etc.
• Economics and Social Sciences
• Business Economics, International Finance,
  International Economics, Economics of public
  sector, Privatization and Deregulation,
  Agriculture and Environmental Economics, Resource
  Economics, Political Economy, International
  Trade, Macro Economics, Monetary Economics,
  Political Economy, Development Economics etc.

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2. MODERNIZATION AND AUGMENTATION

• There is need to modify conventional teaching
  methodologies and introduce recent advances in
  technology into the teaching-learning process.
• We must switch over from chalk and talk to more
  interactive mode of teaching and learning by
  making use of audio-visual aids, e-contents,
  databases, e-resources etc.
• Adequate infrastructure, faculty, staff, funds
  and other facilities should also be made
  available to all university teaching departments
  and other affiliated higher educational
  institutions.
• Adhocism and contractualism in higher education
  that has led to mediocrity should be abolished.
• Prior to opening up of new colleges and new
  university campuses, adequate infrastructure,
  faculty and other facilities should be made
  available.
• Diversion of faculty from old to new institutions
  or from main to satellite campuses must be done
  away with.

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3. INTEGRATION AND INTERACTION

• Integrated efforts should be made by all stake
  holders in converting our higher educational
  institutes into the centres of knowledge and
  excellence.
• There is need for greater integration,
  collaboration and better coordination between
  primary, secondary, higher secondary and
  university level education in the state and to
  have a supervisory council with advisory status
  for integration of these three units.
• Interdisciplinary education must be fostered at
  all levels.
• Academia-industry and academia-society
  interactions must be enhanced at all levels.
• There should be greater autonomy to institutions
  of higher learning. Concept of autonomous
  colleges needs to be seriously considered.
• A well-planned and structured interaction to be
  developed between Centres of Academic Excellence
  and our Universities/Colleges.

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4. EXTENSION AND APPLICATION

• We need to augment residential facilities
  available to students as well as teachers at
  district, sub-district and block level.
• Extended library facilities should be made
  available beyond normal working hours in all
  degree colleges.
• In view of limited intake capacity in colleges
  and universities, distance mode of education
  should be fostered and expanded to enhance
  accessibility to education.
• Second stream of courses, say vocational, be run
  in the evening/night so that the available
  /created infrastructure is better utilized.
• Meritorious students coming from lower income
  groups could be used as teachers so that they can
  be partly be compensated.
• Quality of research work has to be drastically
  improved.
• Research work has to be made more applied,
  socially relevant and productive.

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5. ASSESSMENT AND ACCREDITATION

• Principles of total quality management (TQM)
  procedures need to be adopted in teaching,
  research and extension at the institutions of
  higher education.
• A teacher must be evaluated not only for his
  teaching but also for his research and extension
  activities.
• Regular internal assessment of teachers should be
  carried out through students.
• Carry out regular review and reforms of
  conventional examination and evaluation patterns.
  
• Non-scholastic aspects of the learners
  personality should also be assessed.
• Assessment of all educational institutes by NAAC,
  NAB etc should be made mandatory and financial
  support to be provided in accordance with the
  ranks obtained therein.
• All university departments and affiliated
  institutions offering technical courses must
  offer courses duly approved by AICTE and other
  relevant Councils like MCI, PCI, Nursing Council
  of India etc.

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6. INCENTIVIZATION AND HARMONIZATION

• Creative skills and competitive spirits of the
  students of university education should be
  encouraged in order to make them accomplished
  achievers rather than passive knowledge-seekers.
• In order to make our students better citizens,
  value based education for inculcating ethics and
  morality among them needs to be reinforced.
• Link education with livelihood and make it
  job-oriented.
• Professional and vocational education should be
  fostered and employability promoted to alleviate
  skill-deprivation among students.
• The shifting from traditional incremental
  budgeting to performance based one is now
  necessary to arrest the erosion in quality.
• Good performance must be suitably rewarded.

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7. PARTNERSHIP AND PRIVATIZATION

• Privatization of education should be allowed in a
  controlled fashion and subject to a strict
  regulatory mechanism under the aegis of a
  regulatory authority or higher education council.
  
• Partnership should be the key to development
  rather than complete privatization of the
  education sector.
• Possibilities under public private partnership
  (PPP) model of education need to be explored in
  view of Govt. constraints in terms of GER, STR,
  investments, infrastructure, quality, innovation
  etc.
• PPP shall not only reduce the burden of
  Government in incurring high cost of providing
  basic infrastructure facilities but also lead to
  construction of state of the art buildings, labs,
  libraries, hostels etc.

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8. TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

• Alongside providing better perks and remuneration
  to teachers and non-teaching staff, they should
  be made more accountable.
• Transparency in educational institutions should
  be enhanced.
• Recruitment and transfer procedures and policies
  in educational institutions should also be made
  more transparent.
• Admission policy in colleges and universities
  needs to be streamlined and made fool-proof.
• Admission should be strictly made on the basis of
  total intake capacity of the institution and the
  merit of aspiring candidates.
• Political interference in academic matters like
  admissions, appointments, promotions, transfers
  etc has to be got rid of.
• Irregularities must be thoroughly probed and
  culprits punished in order to create deterrence
  against corruption and gratification..

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9. PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION

• Prior to opening up of new colleges, there should
  be proper planning to make adequate
  infrastructure, faculty and other facilities
  available well in time.
• Haphazard and unplanned expansion of higher
  educational institutes has to be halted.
• Promulgate a new robust and comprehensive state
  education policy.
• Bridge the gap between academia and policy-makers
  and frame policies after mutual consultation with
  academia.
• Reports and recommendations submitted by various
  expert committees and academicians should be
  promptly implemented and same should find place
  in the ultimate policies of the government.

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10. REORIENTATION AND CONSOLIDATION

• Address gross academic issues like admissions,
  syllabi, coordination, faculty strength,
  examination, research etc effectively and
  consolidate upon the gains made so far.
• Training and placement of pass-outs should be
  made an integral part of University education
  besides conducting refresher courses and QIPs for
  teachers on regular basis.
• Provide greater autonomy to well-established
  premier degree level colleges, particularly in
  designing their own curricula, making admissions
  and conducting examinations/evaluation etc.
• Orientation of students towards professional
  subjects needs to be done at an earlier stage so
  as to provide greater avenues and foster their
  inherent capabilities in one particular stream
  rather than making them study all kinds of
  subjects irrespective of their personal interests
  and inclinations.

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THANKS FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION