The Minister for Education Naeem Akhtar today said that the education sector in Jammu and Kashmir is heading towards a defining stage owing to vital initiatives and far reaching reforms introduced by the state government at academic levels.Addressing students and staff from state universities and colleges here at the central University Jammu, the Minister said that government is moving towards total overhauling of education system that had seen grave times. The central University, Jammu had organized an interaction programme on the topic “Creating World Class Universities: The Characteristics and Challenges” with renowned academician and former Vice Chancellor of Kashmir University and former founder member of UGC Prof. Jalees A. K. Tareen.“Our vision is to reach a phase where the society and the stakeholders establish a link and owns the responsibility to improve the system” he said and cited the example of who banning the private tuition by the teachers has been widely welcomed.
“Initially the move was faced with some criticism but gradually it was widely supported. So much so that in Kashmir the teachers even made their mind to do away with the winter vacations” he said.Listing initiatives like opening of cluster universities in Srinagar and Jammu, he said the underlying aim of these is to create integrated institutions which will emerge as hub of educational activities and function round the clock. He also mentioned of the launching of first of its kind Chief Minister’s Super-50 Free Winter Tutorial initiative under which students of 10th, 12th class as well as medical and engineering aspirants will be provided free winter tutorials by top faculty from Education Department.The initiative is a comprehensive free tuition program for 10th and 12th class students of Jammu and Kashmir who will be tutored by top faculty drawn from the State Government’s Education Department. He said the initiative will also be implemented in Jammu when the schools here close for summer vacations.
“We have established dozens of modern schools and at the end of this year, we have a target to raise their number to 140 schools” he said.He also said that the Government also plans to establish smart classes in 250 schools this year adding “We have also decided to declare 2016 as the year of expression for arts, languages and other fields of excellence”.Stressing on the capacity building of the teachers, he said the government has signed a memorandum with a central government agency, whose volunteers would train 5000 teachers of the state upto March this year.Earlier, Jalees A. K. Tareen gave a power point presentation on the measures and steps to be taken towards ‘Creating World Class Universities’. He also listed the area where the Indian universities are lacking behind the top institutions of the world.