Jammu and Kashmir is all set to lead the country in nation building by tapping the caliber, capacity, aptitude and potential of the youth. Despite facing obstacles, J&K youth continue to perform at the national level including the prestigious Civil Services Examinations.This was stated by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh at the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony here today.MoU on ‘Tele Education Networks of J&K’ was signed between Development & Educational Communication Unit (DECU), ISRO, Ahmadabad, Department of Science & Technology and Department of Higher Education, Government of J&K at Government PG College for Women, Gandhi Nagar Jammu.Minister for Education, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, Director DECU, Virendra Kumar, Commissioner Secretary, Higher Education, Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon, Vice Chancellor Central University Jammu, Dr Ashok Aima, Principals of GGM Science College, GCW Gandhi Nagar, senior officers from Higher Education and School Education departments besides students of the colleges were present on the occasion.
Reinstating faith in the potential of JK youth, Dr Jitendra Singh said if given proper channels and avenues, the state’s youth can excel in every field and lead the country on the path of development, progress, growth and success. “In this era of information technology where the world has shrunk to a global village, the youth need to be connected with the nation to understand the level of competition and aptitude testing standards being followed at diverse platforms,” he said.Elucidating the importance of space technology in reaching the inaccessible and far off locations, Dr Jitendra Singh said, “The MoU on ‘Tele Education Networks of J&K’ is a new paradigm of education for anyone, anywhere, anytime” adding, “It opens up numerous opportunities both for students as well as teachers for sharing ideas & knowledge, thereby improving lifelong learning skills through easy access to global resources”.The Minister said that bountless opportunities can be created in tele-education by linking best of institutes for providing advanced courses in array of streams.On the success of recently held recruitment drive for the posts of Sub Inspector in the valley, the Minister said that the youth has showcased its desire to shed the bondages of resistance and come forward to participate in the rapid national development being achieved under the aegis of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Education, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari said that the MoU will go a long way in augmenting the knowledge deficit by taking the world class teaching and learning practices to the remotest areas in the state. “Tele Education Networks of J&K is a step forward for greater reliance on secondary resources and materials for knowledge generation,” he said.Bukhari said that the youth of the State are full of potential and should be exposed to technological advancements for their prosperous future. “Through this intervention, we will be taking education to every nook and corner of the State and it is estimated that about 5 Lac students will get benefitted every year if implemented throughout the state,” he added.The Minister for Education said with the signing of MoU, state government will be taking a step forward in implementation of tele-education programme in Jammu and Kashmir.“I believe that once the tele-education hubs are functional, the State can be benefitted by way of improved connectivity in rural and remote areas besides supplementing curriculum and based teaching and effective teachers training,” Bukhari observed further.Earlier, Commissioner Secretary, Higher Education Department, Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon informed the gathering that the ‘Tele Education Networks of J&K’ will be an interface between school education, higher education, cluster universities, state universities and central universities. Currently 31 colleges are connected with the network which will be extended cover 97 colleges of state apart from different universities, he added.MoU provides for a 3 year partnership between Development and Educational Communication Unit (DECU), ISRO and Department of Higher Education, Government of J&K for facilitating education in students from the state.