Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, Feb 15: For the last 14 years, students at Kashmir University’s South campus have been deprived of the opportunity to study basic Science courses, forcing them to travel outside the Valley to pursue their academic aspirations.
The South campus was founded in 2008 with the goal of expanding the University’s academic offerings and catering to students from the southern region of the Valley. However, since the campus’s creation, it has not offered Science courses in chemistry, biology and physics, leaving students who are interested in obtaining degrees in these fields with no choice except to attend other Universities.
“The University was supposed to bring quality education to our doorstep, but the absence of a Science stream has left us with no choice but to send our children to other Universities, which is a huge financial burden,” a local said.
The students expressed their disappointment with the lack of Science courses at the South campus. Many students expressed their frustration, saying that they had to travel long distances to attend other Universities for their Science subjects, which was both time-consuming and expensive.
“It is difficult to pursue a career in Science-related fields without a Science stream. We have to travel long distances and bear additional expenses to attend other Universities, which affects our academic and personal lives,” a student said.
Another student added: “We have been requesting the administration to introduce a Science stream for years, but they have not taken any concrete steps. It is frustrating and disappointing to see the lack of action on such an important issue.”
The lack of a Science stream is also impacting the University’s overall reputation, as it is failing to attract students interested in pursuing degrees in Science. The University administration has been criticized for not taking adequate steps to address this issue and expand the academic offerings at the South Campus.
The students and residents have raised the issue with the University administration and demanded that they take action to address the issue. “The administration acknowledged the concerns of the students and promised to look into the matter. However, there has been no concrete plan put forward to address the issue and provide students with the opportunity to pursue a degree in Science,” another local said.
Mukhtar Ahmad, the Director of the South Campus, told Excelsior that they have sent a proposal for the introduction of new courses such as the BS in Economics, the BBA in Law, and the BCA in Law this year. “Once the necessary infrastructure is in place, we will propose the Life Sciences course for the following year,” he said.
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