To oversee the progress of construction, infrastructure development and matters related to expansion of the Central university of Kashmir (CUK), a team constituted by the University Grants Commission (UGC) visited all the campuses of the varsity at Ganderbal and Srinagar.The team comprising, Prof. Sushma Yadav, Vice-Chancellor, B.P. S Mahila Vishwavidyalaya, Prof. Inder Mohan Kapathy and Ms. Sushma Rathore, Under Secretary, UGC, held threadbare discussions with Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Mehraj ud Din Mir, Registrar, Prof. Fayaz A Nika, Finance Officer, Mr. Bashir Ahmad Haji, other senior functionaries of the administration, respective campus directors, faculty members and students.Speaking during the meeting with the team members, Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Mehraj ud Din Mir presented a detailed report about the university and said the CUK was established along with other 13 universities in 2009 and the then State government allotted 5000 kanals of land at Tulmulla in Ganderbal district for its establishment. He said the academic activities in the university were started in 2010 from rented building with the launch of three Post-Graduate programmes in English, Management Studies and Information Technology and the number of students was only 300. “The number of students and scholars receiving education and pursuing research in the university is now more than 2300,” Prof. Mehraj ud Din Mir said, adding the university has nine Schools and 18 PG departments with near about 35 programmes including five year integrated courses and skill based programmes. He said the admission to the programmes including research degree programmes offered by the CUK and other sister universities is jointly conducted by the consortium of 10 Central Universities on the basis of Central Universities Common Entrance Test (CUCET).
Vice-Chancellor, said the university has already established an Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), Directorate of Students Welfare (DSW), Research Council and other important bodies, adding the university has an efficient students feedback system. Prof. Mehraj ud Din Mir said the varsity has organised several international and national seminars, workshops, and other academic activities from time to time, despite suffering immensely due to lack of proper infrastructure.The curriculum of all the programmes is upgraded to address the needs of different stakeholders including public and private sector. The university since recent past has been focusing more on skill based technical courses and integrated programmes to ensure employability of the graduates and to make them skilled, he said adding the university has recently received a mega project in the name of Design Innovation Centre (DIC), which has started its activities in the Valley.He said the CUK has been able to get the senior qualified faculty on regular basis and the faculty members represent many States of India. Prof. Mir said the CUK has given due preference as far as professional development of the teachers and administrative staff is concerned.He said that on the directions of the State government, the university has shifted its administration to Ganderbal and one of the Department’s (Department of Information Technology) has started operating from the designated campus at Tulmulla from a Pre Engineered Building (PEB). He said the university would be shifting all the teaching departments to Ganderbal in a phased manner. Prof. Mehraj ud Din informed the team members about the contribution of firms/ companies under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the construction of classrooms at the Green and Science Campuses at Ganderbal.Prof. Mir apprised the team members about the inordinate delay in the construction of Pre Engineered Buildings (PEBs) at Tulmulla saying that the executing agencies have failed to fulfill their commitments regarding completion of respective works. He said the Project Monitoring Unit (PMU) appointed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has recently given a go ahead for the construction of G+1 structures at the designated site for which the process has already been started.