JAVEED AHMD BHAT
Jammu and Kashmir had for long witnessed much backwardness in terms of the Educational Infrastructure, which was quite poor. The successive Governments of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir have given very less attention to the development of Educational Infrastructure. Whatever Infrastructure was there it lagged the quality touch. The need of the hour of making a compact Educational and academic Infrastructure was never realized, this kept the large number of youth of Jammu and Kashmir in dark corridors . With the historic Abrogation of article 370 on 5 August, 2019 the Educational Infrastructure of Jammu and Kashmir has not just witnessed improvement but has marched ahead in right direction. Jammu and Kashmir Government with full support of the Central government is making rapid strides to ensure that Educational Infrastructure of Jammu and Kashmir becomes relevant and compact, modernized.
The education sector of J&K has achieved landmark strides in last few years especially after the Abrogation of article 370. The government on its part is effectively implementing all schemes and projects envisaging a notable improvement in the existing curriculum besides embarking upon various innovative new projects and works.
The facts on the ground are simply heartwarming as the Government has some time back observed that with an aim to reform the educational ecosystem and infrastructure across J&K, the largest single addition of education capacity in 70 years was done with the addition of new 25,000 seats in 50 new colleges in a year.
The focus of the government has been value-based education; creating an environment for individual growth apart from scientific and technological knowledge. The education sector in UT is being reformed to meet the requirements of the rapidly transforming education system and the changing market dynamics.
The Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory Government under the able and capable leadership of the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha ji is reforming the education sector in great manner and making it accessible to one and all especially the deprived sections.
On its part, the administration of Jammu and Kashmir is paying ‘sustained attention’ to bring quality education to the underprivileged section of the society who were long deprived of their rights. “With implementation of NEP, national pattern of syllabus followed by other states and Union Territories will be introduced in Jammu and Kashmir. Syllabus and format approved by the University Grants Commission (UGC) will be applicable in the UT.
Higher education in Jammu and Kashmir too is witnessing a sea saw positive change. Senior officers in schools and higher education have been told by the J&K government to implement all schemes and projects, envisaging a notable improvement in the existing curriculum, besides embarking upon various innovative new projects and works.
Jammu and Kashmir Government under Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has learnt that the world is heading towards an era that will be dominated by the knowledge economy; our biggest asset would be the human capital, a combination of talent, skill, and creativity.
One more big feat of Jammu and Kashmir Government has been to decrease the dropout rate of students from Government schools .In Jammu and Kashmir, dropout rate among the primary level school students has dropped to 3.91 percent and 3.20 percent at upper primary level respectively.
Principal Secretary, School Education Department (SED), B K Singh recently had observed that “Dropout rate at primary level has dropped from 6.68 in 2019-20 to 3.91 in 2020-21 and at upper primary level from 6.33 to 3.2 percent.”
The overall realities with reference to the education sector in Jammu and Kashmir are vastly improving post abrogation of article 370 and also the academic Infrastructure especially in terms of the colleges, universities and schools is being build in a dynamic manner.
In other bright development the path breaking and revolutionary National Education Policy is being implemented in Jammu and Kashmir. It is matter of great pride that Jammu and Kashmir would be among the first in the country to fully implement the NEP, and Government has already in this regard called upon the colleges to reorient their curriculum and teaching methodologies and be be ready to impart education in new courses which include technical, skill, language and other courses under the multidimensional approach of the NEP.
Certainly and surely Jammu and Kashmir is making great progress after the abrogation of article 370 in the sphere of education and academics.
