State Department of Higher Education is afflicted with inertia to the extent that its bureaucratic echelons are not aware that a high powered Jammu and Kashmir State Higher Education Council was constituted in 2013. They are not even aware of the terms of reference of this body not to speak of its importance and relevance to the upgrading and streamlining of the Higher Education Department. What significant improvement can one expect from such a department as is not aware of its duties and responsibilities? This is the reason why the Higher Education is in shambles in the State. The main objective of the Council was to suggest measures for improvement in the higher education and this was also admitted by the Government on the floor of the Legislative Assembly during the discussion on the grants of the Higher Education Department last month. It sounds strange that the Council has not met during the past over one year to address the issues it was supposed to consider under the terms of reference. The Chief Minister is the Chairman of the Council and the Minister of Education as its Vice Chairman. The Council comprises of many Secretaries of the Departments besides the Chief Secretary and the Vice Chancellors of State and Central Universities.
There is thinking throughout the country that our Higher Education needs drastic reforming so that we have a very high level of teaching and research going on in universities and research institutes. The President of India has said a number of times that it is regrettable that not a single Indian University is counted among the top 200 universities of the world. The quality of research work has dwindled in our higher educational institutions and besides that in many areas we need drastic changes to keep pace with the need of the times. We regret to know that our bureaucrats in the Higher Education Department are afflicted by inertia and are not interested to putting their heart in their work. The top echelons at the Higher Education Department should be called to answer for their lack of interest in planning schemes that would help us improve the standard of teaching, research and dissemination of knowledge.
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