Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, June 1: Kashmir University’s integrated masters’ programme in Botany at its north campus, approved by the University Council over two months ago, faces an uncertain start this year as the University struggles to finalise the course syllabus, causing distress among students and locals.
The University Council, chaired by LG Manoj Sinha, convened on March 20th this year to discuss the implementation of two new courses, Bsc-Msc Botany and PG in Artificial Intelligence, at the university’s north campus. Unfortunately, due to feasibility issues, the artificial intelligence course had to be abandoned. However, the University proceeded with the approved integrated Bsc-Msc Botany programme and even transferred three faculty members from Ladakh to support its implementation.
Despite the passage of over two months, the newly appointed faculty members have neither joined nor any courses commenced at the campus. “The faculty members were asked to develop the syllabus for the course, but they are yet to submit it,” revealed a senior faculty member. This delay has raised concerns among the students and locals, who are eager to see the programme begin.
Kashmir University’s Dean of Academic Affairs, Farooq Ahmad Masoodi, acknowledged the need for adequate infrastructure and faculty before starting a new course. He emphasised that merely having three faculty members would not be sufficient and suggested the possibility of contractual appointments to ensure adequate staff, “however, having a finalised syllabus is a prerequisite for moving forward, which has not been accomplished yet,” he said.
The delay in starting the new course has disappointed the locals, who expressed their concerns about the lack of progress. “The 12th results would be announced anytime, and the delay in issuing the notification has left us worried. They should have issued the notification by now if they wanted to start the batch for the new course this year. The government should hold the authorities accountable for why they are delaying the process,” said a concerned local resident, demanding LG Manoj Sinha’s intervention to resolve the matter.
This delay is particularly disheartening because the lack of basic science courses at Kashmir University’s north campus has been a persistent issue. As a result, students have had to travel outside the valley to pursue their studies. The establishment of the campus aimed to make higher education more accessible to the youth in the outlying regions of North Kashmir, but its progress has been slow. “Although this campus would have benefited the residents of rural, densely populated districts like Kupwara, Baramulla, and Handwara, it has not been designed to meet their needs,” expressed a group of concerned citizens.
Bashir Ahmad, the Director of the north campus, assured that the necessary infrastructure is in place for the start of the Botany programme. “The programme can only begin once the faculty members join and the university frames the syllabus,” he said.
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