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| Azad sees education as tool for people's empowerment | | Women of J&K in special focus of technical education | | Early Times Reporter
Srinagar|Sep 21
With the recent announcement of an additional university campus for one of Jammu & Kashmir's remote and hilly district, Poonch, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has given an indication of how focused he is in taking higher education literally to the doorsteps of people. It could not be a coincidence that he has kept with himself the portfolio of higher education, a press note issued by J&K department of information and public relations, said here today.
It added, “Committed to change the education scenario in the State for the best, Azad has set out on a mission to expand the reach of quality education in the State. He has also spelt out the need to set up additional university campuses at Leh in the arid desert of Ladakh and Kupwara, a border district of Kashmir.”
"Education is a sure means of people's empowerment", says the Chief Minister who belongs to a family that gave the State one of its foremost Directors of Education. "Times have changed and we have to change our focus on education", he argues, adding that job oriented and market specific education has to be our thrust area now", the press note add3ed quoting Azad and added that he is clear in his mind that the growing unemployment of educated youth in the State could not be tackled by doling out false promises of government jobs to the youth and that they have to think beyond government sector for employment.
"I am not the one who would buy time by holding out promises that can not be fulfilled", he says and argues on the basis of facts that the government sector is already saturated. In the near absence of corporate sector in the State, government jobs have been a mainstay of educated youth. But the situation has changed now. There are about 3.80 lakh government employees in J&K whose annual wage bill of Rs. 4350 crore eats up the State's budget, leaving literally meager funds for development works. With this scenario, there is hardly any room for further absorption.
Considering this, the State government has shifted its attention from traditional and curriculum education to technical and market oriented education. New subjects promising better job avenues have been introduced at degree and postgraduate level and Industrial Training Institutes and Polytechnics expanded.
The Chief Minister says, "To enhance the employability of the State youth in the job market, add-on and employment-oriented courses have been introduced at the graduation level." Subjects of computer application, information technology, bio-technology, environmental science and management studies have been added in colleges recently, thus broadening scope of the pass outs in the job market.
Women are in special focus so far as technical education in Jammu & Kashmir is concerned. "Under the Prime Minister's Reconstruction Programme, we have set up 10 Women ITIs in the State, brining the total number of ITIs to 48", says the Chief Minister. The State has two Government polytechnics exclusively for women, one each in the capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu. . Besides, there are 15 co-ed polytechnics throughout the State including 11 in the private sector.
Azad is also particular about quality parameters and emphasizes on special trainings for up-gradation of skills of teachers. A State Level Quality Assurance Cell has been set up to monitor the sustenance and enhancement of the quality education in the State.
Consolidation of existing infrastructure in education sector is another area receiving focused attention of the Chief Minister. Construction of seven newly established degree colleges has been taken up vigorously by J&K Projects Construction Corporation and seven others by National Buildings Construction Corporation.
As an important step to provide students, especially girl students, access to education through satellite, two EDUSAT HUBS have been set up at Government College for Women, M. A. Road, Srinagar and Government College for Women, Gandhinagar, Jammu in collaboration with Indian Space Research Organisation. In addition, 102 Satellite Interactive Terminals are being set up in colleges, higher secondary schools and Industrial Training Institutes.
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