The HRD Ministry has found many deficiencies in the implementation of Higher Education Plan in the State. Instructions and advisories issued by the ministry from time to time with the purpose of helping the State to be able to bring about necessary reforms in the higher education have not been strictly adhered to. This is the observation of the Ministry of Human Resource Development. Reforms in higher education are considered a priority by policy planners. The report highlights several areas that have faced deficiency.
The State Higher Education Department has not increased annual expenditure on higher education for the years 2010 to 2013 despite commitment made by the Government. In the higher education institutions, large numbers of faculties remain vacant and no serious effort is made to fill them up. On an average, the ratio between the students and the teachers in Higher Education is something like 36>1. There has not been any time bound plan to reduce this ratio to 20>1 and finally to 15>1 which is the goal set forth as per the programme of reforming entire educational system. It remains a mystery why the State has not filled thousands of teaching vacancies when funds and manpower both were available. The HRD Ministry desires that ratio between the number of students and faculty should be around 15>1.
But major discrepancy has been noted in many colleges and universities of the State of J&K not having proper accreditation from the University Gants Commission. It is surprising to note that out of 98 Government colleges in the State only 21 of them are properly accredited with the UGC. 57 Colleges were opened after 2006 and although seven years have gone by their accreditation has not been fulfilled according to prescribed criteria. It will be noted that in many of these newly opened colleges there have been complaints on various grounds from the students, people and the staff. Many of these are deficient in infrastructure, proper accommodation, libraries and laboratories, gyms, hostel accommodation, amenities like sports, recreation, canteen facilities etc. The most glaring deficiency is in terms of shortage of faculties. In many of these colleges only some limited subjects are taught though students would want to seek admission in other and comparatively newer strands especially in the areas of science, technology, media, human rights and other fields. In this way our talent is denied the opportunity to find exposure and grow. That is the reason why the HRD Ministry has suggested that this deficiency should be taken up on priority basis and addressed without loss of time. Deficiency in accreditation field is also true about three out of five universities of the State.
Another significant gap that has been detected by the HRD Ministry is in the structure of State Higher Educational Council where, under the guidelines either the Chairman or the Vice Chairman should be an eminent academic of great reputation and not less than the status of a university professor. In the case of J&K State Educational Council, the policitions are the Chairman and Vice Chairman. The emphasis of reforms is not only on administration but more importantly on academics and curricula. The details of composition and role of the State Educational Council are spelt out in the instructions but the State has not fixed any timeline for the enactment of these provisions.
The fact is that the Higher Education Department of the State badly needs reforms and restricting of many of its wings in order to make education capable of meeting the requirements of present day. Great stress is being laid on the necessity of bringing in reforms in our educational system. How reforms can be brought about when the State Higher Education Department is not prepared even to implement such urgent reforms and restructuring as have been suggested by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development. The State Government should waste no time in initiating full implementation of the plan for reformation of Higher Education system in the country.
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