Govt restores Janglote Campus, RUSA funding to UIET as Governor intervenes

Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Mar 6: In a significant development and major victory for Jammu University, the State Government has decided to restore Janglote Campus to University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET) Jammu.
Contrary to earlier decision of the State Government, the UIET shall continue to be a Constitute College of the Jammu University with its permanent campus at Janglote, Kathua, which is near completion.
Highly placed official sources told the Excelsior that a decision in this regard was taken after a brief one to one closed door meting between Governor N N Vohra, and the Education Minister Altaf Ahmad Bukhari at the Raj Bhawan, here this morning.
The 15-minute long unscheduled meeting was held immediately ahead of a high –level scheduled meeting at Raj Bhawan by the Governor to discuss the issues relating to Jammu University and Kashmir University, sources added.
In the brief but crucial meeting, Governor N N Vohra, who is also Chancellor of the Jammu University, is understood to have explained the JU sentiments as well as the technicalities involved in Janglote Campus for the Engineering College, which was earlier taken over by the State Government through a Cabinet order.
Following the intervention of Vohra and keeping in view the public sentiments in Jammu,   Altaf Bukhari agreed for restoration of the Janglote Campus to UIET and also assured full financial and logistic support to expedite the ongoing construction of the permanent campus in Kathua, sources said.
“There is no confusion now, the UIET shall continue to be Constituent College of the Jammu University with its permanent campus at Janglote, Kathua, which shall be provided RUSA (Rashtriya Ucchtar Shiksha Abhiyaan) funding and full financial as well as logistic support,” the Education Minister told the Excelsior.
While elaborating, he said that only the Institute of Engineering and Technology, Safapora, Kashmir, shall be designated as a Government College of Engineering and Technology (GCET) since the University of Kashmir already has a full-fledged Engineering College at its Zakura Campus.
“Now Kashmir as well as Jammu will have two Engineering Colleges each.  Already existing GCET Jammu and UIET Janglote for this region and GCET Safapora in and University Engineering  Zakura in Kashmir,” he added thus putting a full stop on the controversy, which had erupted  following the State Government’s sudden decision of taking over management control of  UIET Janglote and renaming it as GCET Janglote.
Eve as the JU resented State Government order no. 687-HE of 2017 dated 12/12/2017 citing the Cabinet decision No.170/11/2017 dated 03/10/2017 and Govt order no 589-HE of 2017 dated 10/10/2017 granting approval for the creation of Government College of Engineering & Technology and creation of 68 posts for the Engineering & Technology College at Janglote, Kathua superseding its earlier order, ref. No. HE/Coll/Engg/Uni/116/2016 dated 12-05-2017, the Department of Higher Education went ahead with its decision.
Meanwhile, the admitted students of UIET  went on agitation from February 8, .2018 boycotting their class work and demanding continuation of UIET in the University of Jammu. On the other hand, in further, pursuance to the  Cabinet decision,  No. 170/11/2017, the Higher Education Department  also issued an order no: HE-Coll/Estb-119/Eng/2018 dated 12.02.2018 regarding shifting of the students admitted in UIET to GCET Janglote.
As the students’ agitation intensified,  the State Government on February 26  ordered allowing the continuation of UIET as a constituent college of Jammu University but without RUSA funding as well as Janglote Campus.  The Government  asked for immediate resumption of class work for the UIET  students at the Jammu University campus for the current session adding that  later a building should  be hired for the purpose by the university, till permanent campus was  established   thus establishing the fact that the State Government would not restore newly established Janglote Engineering Campus to JU.
Even as the agitating students  called off their protest,  the Excelsior carried an exclusive news item with caption “Govt allows UIET to continue after robbing it of RUSA funding, campus”  hinting that the long run survival of  UIET  from a rented accommodation was  uncertain in view of doubts over the State Government’s intentions. Besides, it was also reported in that news item that the  things would be clear only after March 6 meeting wherein the decision for establishment of permanent campus of UIET was to  be taken, as per the Government communiqué.
Taking cognizance of the public mood and sensing the ground situation, sources said that  Governor N N Vohra persuaded the Education Minister to review  the Government decision of taking over Janglote Campus as running  UIET from rented accommodation was not feasible.
After the brief one to one meeting with the Education Minister,  Governor N.N. Vohra   chaired  high-level  meeting to discuss the issues relating to University of Kashmir and University of Jammu.
Several important decisions were taken in this meeting, which was attended by Altaf Bukhari,  JU Vice-Chancellor  Prof  R D  Sharma, KU Vice-Chancellor Dr Khurshid Iqbal Andrabi;  Umang Narula, Principal Secretary to Governor;  Dr  Asgar Hassan Samoon, Principal Secretary Higher Education and  Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister.
According to an official spokesman, the Chancellor advised both the VCs to ensure that AICTE approvals are duly obtained for running technical courses in both UIET Janglote and GCET Safapora.
Chancellor advised that for enhancing the objectives of higher learning in J&K it was of crucial importance that the State Education and Agriculture Departments provided very strong support to the four State Universities, which included two Farm Universities and alongside, the Universities closely adhered to the decisions of their University Councils. It was decided that all State Universities shall coordinate closely with the State Education and Agriculture Departments and the Education Minister shall have early meetings with Union Home Minister and Defence Minister for securing early vacation of their lands presently under the occupation of the Army and Central Police Forces.
Chancellor emphasized that long pending issues relating to Offsite Campuses of the Universities such as the creation of teaching and non-teaching staff and construction of incomplete buildings should be settled by pooling resources available with the State, schemes of the Government of India and internal resources of the Universities. Chancellor urged that at least one building should be made functional in every offsite Campus. Education Minister agreed to have the Chief Minister have an early meeting with Finance and Education Minister to settle this pending issue.
It was decided that the 5th and 6th Semester examinations of the Undergraduate batch of 2015 in colleges affiliated to the University of Kashmir should be held as early as possible for which Prof  Andrabi, Vice-Chancellor, was asked to prepare a well-considered calendar after consulting the Academic Council.
It was also decided that decisions relating to academic matters such as introduction of new courses, framing rules and regulations for running courses, authorizing Professors, Associate Professors and Assistant Professors of the Colleges to act as Guides/ Co-Guides for M.Phil/ Ph.D. scholar etc. shall be taken only in terms of the Jammu and Kashmir University Statutes.
To ensure high and uniform standards of academics in all the institutions of higher learning, Chancellor emphasized the vital importance of ensuring uniformity of examination standards and marking systems. Education Minister agreed that adherence to this principle is beneficial to the maintenance of high and uniform standards. It was agreed that this objective shall be materialized through a very early meeting between the VCs of the mother Universities and the Cluster Universities. Also, joint academic and research meetings between the Cluster and the State Universities shall be held on regular basis. Chancellor recalled that in the last round of University Council Meetings it had been clearly settled that VCs of the two Cluster Universities shall be permanent invitees to the meetings of University Council meetings of the parent universities. It was also decided that students should be made aware about the processes and procedures involved in modern examination tools like filling of Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets by holding trainings /workshops before the conduct of these examinations.
Governor observed that an early further meeting shall be held with Education Minister and all Vice-Chancellors to review any remaining issues which may be affecting the implementation of academics programmes.

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