Maintaining that student welfare should remain the top priority, Minister for Higher Education, Sakeena Itoo, today said that sustained reforms in the higher education sector are essential to make colleges more accessible, inclusive and responsive to the aspirations of students.
The Minister made these remarks while addressing a comprehensive review meeting held to assess the ongoing admission process in the Government Degree Colleges across Jammu and Kashmir.
During the meeting, Sakeena Itoo had a comprehensive review of the admission status across Government Degree Colleges. She directed the Higher Education Department and college authorities to strengthen awareness and outreach initiatives in the institutions with comparatively low enrolment to ensure wider access to higher education.
The Minister emphasised that Principals and faculty members should actively engage with the students and parents to enhance awareness about the academic programmes, scholarship opportunities and career pathways available in Government Degree Colleges.
Reviewing the admission figures, Sakeena Itoo was informed that colleges have recorded a significant rise in student admissions this year after the government introduced several measures to simplify and ease the admission process.
Sakeena Itoo, who has been closely monitoring the admission process, reiterated her commitment towards strengthening the higher education sector in Jammu and Kashmir. She said that it is the prime concern of the present dispensation to ensure that every eligible student gets access to quality higher education.
“The new reforms have helped reverse the declining trend in college admissions witnessed over the past few years and we hope that the admission figures would exceed 50,000 after the completion of next two rounds of admissions,” asserted the Minister.
She said that legacy colleges continue to witness higher demand, which is encouraging but stressed the need to further strengthen the higher education system by expanding the choice of courses and enhancing student welfare measures to make colleges more attractive for the aspiring students. She added that walk-in admissions have been facilitated through an in-house online portal to ensure that no eligible student is denied access to higher education. She informed that the Principals have been given flexibility in the admission process to take student-centric decisions in the best interest of students.
She stressed the need to rationalise course offerings, upgrade infrastructure and create academic opportunities that respond to the changing needs and aspirations of the students. She directed the officers to closely monitor the admission trends and take all necessary measures to improve enrolment, particularly in colleges where the admissions remain below expectations.
The Minister also sought inputs from the Principals on the persistent decline in admissions in certain subjects and asked them to suggest measures to arrest the downward trend. She stressed that the neighbouring colleges should offer diversified courses rather than identical programmes, so as to optimise academic resources and provide students with a wider range of educational opportunities.
Stressing the importance of ensuring uninterrupted academic activities, the Minister directed all the colleges to make arrangements for commencement of classes at the earliest so that the students do not suffer any academic loss.
Sakeena Itoo emphasised the need for rationalisation of faculty across colleges and directed the Higher Education Department to ensure optimum utilisation of teaching staff by deploying faculty in a manner that strengthens academic standards and addresses gaps in colleges facing low admissions.
The Minister emphasised the need to introduce new courses in emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence and other future-oriented disciplines, to align higher education with evolving academic and industry requirements. She also called for structural reforms across colleges to ensure a more balanced and uniform distribution of admissions.
"We have to introduce new courses in emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Skill Linked Hybrid Tracks and Econometrics. Our goal is to ensure that every eligible student receives an opportunity to pursue higher education of his choice," the Minister said.
She further asserted that the government is focusing on enhancing the employability of students by promoting industry-oriented initiatives and skill development programmes so that graduates are better equipped to secure meaningful employment after completing their education.