Excelsior Correspondent
KATRA, Nov 19: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off “Gyanodaya Express- College on Wheels”, the first-of-its-kind mobile educational endeavor in Jammu Kashmir, from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Railway Station, Katra.
In his address, the Lt Governor commended the unique and unprecedented effort of the Higher Education Council, University of Jammu and everyone associated with the initiative aims at empowering approximately 700 girl students from across Universities of the Union Territory.
“Gyanodaya Express will travel through various states and it will be an educational pilgrimage for the students. The journey endeavors to dissolve boundaries of classrooms, streams and evolve education by providing immersive, collaborative, and project-based learning experiences, the Lt Governor said.
Soon, a similar Gyanodaya Express will be flagged off from Jammu Kashmir comprising of male students from J&K’s Universities and students from aboard, he added.
He said the College on Wheels is inspired by the life of Mahatma Gandhi, where he undertook epic tour of the country by train, interacted with people from all walks of life and awakened the society with universal and eternal values Satya and Ahimsa, Truth and Non-Violence.
“For students, College on Wheels will be a journey of knowing oneself. It will be a lifetime opportunity to discover diverse regions, culture of country and to explore new aspects of life and wisdom,” the Lt Governor said.
He said the students will be able to collaborate on different subjects during the journey and create something new in the spirit of cooperation and teamwork.
Train journey will strengthen transdisciplinary education and provide the students with opportunity for experiential learning. They will be able to share experiences with each other and understand the issues, cultural and spiritual wealth of different regions, he added.
Train journey is considered as a voyage to transform present form of knowledge. The journey of students along with mentors to centre of excellence such as Indian Navy, ISRO, Sabarmati Ashram will provide them with new ideas, insight and hands-on knowledge for new research, the Lt Governor said.
The Lt Governor interacted with the group of students, mentors and extended his best wishes to them.
Prof. Dinesh Singh, Vice Chairman, J&K Higher Education Council and Prof. Umesh Rai, Vice-Chancellor University of Jammu highlighted the unique and innovative project ‘College on Wheels’ for empowerment of students by endowing them with experiential knowledge of the world outside the classrooms.
Gyanodaya Express- College on Wheels is aligned with the visionary National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and seeks to propel a shift from job seekers to job creators, fostering a culture of idea incubation, innovation, and skill development.
Beyond academic pursuits, the Gyanodaya Express will enable the students to gain a holistic understanding of the areas they visit. It will also serve as a catalyst for personal growth, innovation, and national unity.
A handbook on ‘College on Wheels’ and a publication on ‘Design your Degree’ progamme were also released.
Saraf Singh Nag, Chairman, District Development Council Reasi; Kamlesh Kumar Mishra, Director Tourism and Marketing, IRCTC; Vice Chancellor of various Universities, senior officers, Heads of Educational Institutions and faculty members were also present.
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