Early Times Report
Jammu, Oct 19: The Higher Education Department is likely to make substantial amendments in the latest order on rationalization of posts in government degree colleges in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources informed Early Times that centralization in the planning has led to the creation of a faulty rationalization order. “The process has been going on for the last over one year but it was totally centralized, as the information has been routed directly to one official in the Civil Secretariat while another official, who has retired now, had been compiling all the information,” sources said, adding that instead of taking into confidence the other officials of the department and decentralization, the process remain centralized. Sources said that the faults were only found when the order was put in the public domain, evoking sharp criticism from the teaching fraternity as well as qualified youth of Jammu and Kashmir. It was also the result of flawed rationalization order, that Jammu witnessed agitation of the students for admission in the colleges, fall under Cluster University of Jammu. “According to the new order the admission cap on the colleges of Jammu Cluster University was put around 4500 posts, despite the fact that Jammu had larger population than Kashmir”, sources said, adding that finally the department has to increase the intake capacity in these colleges.
A senior official informed, “The rationalization order is so flawed that in some colleges, where science stream has been running since last over one and half decade, has recorded total abolition of posts. One such example is Kulgam Degree College, where over 1500 students are enrolled in the Science stream but all the regular posts of the faculty have been abolished as per the rationalization order issued by the department vide order number 362-JK(HE) of 2020”, sources said, adding that similarly in several colleges of Jammu region also the regular faculty posts have been abolished, where there were large number of enrolled students of a particular stream.
Sources further said that as the department had sought suggestions from various stakeholders, it has received plethora of ideas. “The department is likely to make substantial amendments in the order as in the present form the order would totally create chaos in the already established colleges”, sources said, adding that on one hand the UT administration had opened new colleges, but instead of giving new posts of teachers, it had rationalize the posts, which is problematic for already established colleges. |
