With an aim to revamp education scenario in Jammu and Kashmir, the State Government has constituted a group of experts to prepare a vision document for interventions in skills, teaching, learning, research and innovation that will be drawn from global best practices and traditional norms. The group named “Working Group to work out modalities for operationalization of knowledge Initiative” is supposed to produce a time-bound report within twelve months which will then submitted to the Chief Minister for further action.Advisor to Chief Minister, Amitabh Matoo has been appointed as the Chairman and Minister for Education, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari is Co-Chairman of the Group. Financial Commissioner (Coordination)/ Resident Commission, J&K Government, K.B. Agarwal and Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Rohit Kansal are the members where as Commissioner Secretary to Higher Education Department, Dr. Asgar Hassan Samoon is the Member Secretary of the group.The group is supposed to prepare policies, guidelines and schemes to ensure full literacy and competitive employability through an optimal use of existing infrastructure and human resources available in the State.The Working Group shall also prepare a blueprint for Information Communication Technology initiative that can harness the human resources talent in the State. The Group is also supposed to prepare a blue print for the creation of Knowledge Township in the State that will provide a state of the art environment for the youth of the State to become globally competitive and where there is a seamless transition from studying to training to working to living within the same geographical space.
During the initial meetings, the working Group has finalized the title for the Vision document and the subsequent ten chapters regarding the knowledge initiative.The report has been titled as “Education, Engagement and Employability: Empowering J&K’s youth in a global Knowledge Society.”The chapters shall include: Early Childhood Teaching and Learning, Teaching of Science and Mathematics, Introducing critical analytical thinking and problem solving in Schools, Skills and Vocational Education, Teaching of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Sports, Theatre and Fine Arts, STEM Disciplines (Science, Technical and Medical Education), Role of online learning and ICT in developing Human Resources in the state, Generating excellence in Research and Innovation in Higher Education and Creating world class institutions and spaces for excellence.As part of revamping the Education sector, Altaf Bukhari said, “the group will provide government with the short term suggestions as well as long term suggestion for the betterment of the education scenario in Jammu and Kashmir.According to Amitabh Mattoo, the group will work together as a team to achieve the proposed goals of the working group. He vowed to make the knowledge initiative a huge success, by looking for the best possible practical activities to revamp education system across J&K.He said the Group holds much significance as its primary aim is to develop Human Resources in the State, generate excellence in Research and Innovation in Higher Education and create world-class institutions and spaces for excellence.