By Prof SK Bhalla
Yesterday, there has been change of guard at the level of Higher Education Department in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory. This is in the interest of administration, they say. We have huge expectations from the new incumbent as quality education is on the agenda of all dispensations. The outgoing top Boss of HED did a tremendous job to streamline the rickety department with all the skills at his disposal. Anyhow, there have been many irritants which shall continue to irritate us in the forseable future. The refrence is to declining educational standards coupled with roaring transfer industry.
It is a matter of great regret that our worthy teachers in HED are more bothered about postings in their comfort zone and least interested in the availability of quality education to our wards. As per media reports, a few have brought bad name to the system by diverting their energies in directions which are alien to the spirit of high education standards. When earning money becomes the sole motive and improved standards are kept in the background, the society at large suffers. Why bother ?.
It is hoped that with the installation of new political government some serious soul searching both at the administrative as well as academic level will be encouraged for a better deal for our young aspirants who look towards our highly educated teachers to deliver in all earnestness.
The public at large hopes that in the coming days the concept of work culture, accountability and transparency in the HED shall be on the top agenda with the new dispensation. Any deviation from the aforesaid lofty principles is likely to further accumulate confusion and frustration among our students who are already in a state of quandary over introduction of National Educational Policy in J&K UT. It can be written with sufficient sense of responsibility that here the NEP has been implemented without proper appreciation of ground realities by the previous top boss of HED who was in an unimaginable hurry to keep his superiors in good humor.
For the kind information of present custodians of HED, the Cluster University of Jammu is pining for a new VC face for the last one year and this has become a big headache for our Raj Bhawan giving migrane to the concerned citizens who are worried about the circus going on day in day and day out in CLUJ. A few officers of the middle rung in HED have become a law unto themselves by accomodating a select band of teachers in non teaching assignments for a long time resulting into academic chaos of the worst order.
It is an adage that if a nation is to be ruined the easiest recipie is to damage the education system. In case, remedial measures will not be taken then we should be ready for a societal disaster of the worst order in J&K UT.