BY PEER URFA MOIN
Education is not only an institution for gaining knowledge but also a process of knowing the inner self. The paradox of education is its skilled capital productivity.
The education in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is structurally formulated on a five tier model which comprises of primary, middle and higher secondary schools, colleges and universities.
If we consider the statistical data, J&K has the literacy rate of 68%. The educational development in J&K began in 1857, by the son of Maharaja Gulab Singh and the second Dogra ruler of J&K Maharaja Rambir Singh.
Christian missionaries and Muslim organizations also played a significant role in the promotion of education in J&K.
The skilled capital productivity (including the outlined quality) of education in Jammu and Kashmir has been massively hit in the past by various internal as well as external factors.
The geo-political crisis in the past as well as the colonial deadlock, both have been the historical precipitators in creating social, economic and political anarchism in J&K.
The J&K educational scenario has improved with time. It improved with the establishment of new schools, degree and post degree colleges, polytechnic institutes, industrial training institutes and much more.
J&K has set up many colleges and universities to impact higher education for the dynamic and skilled youth like the University of Jammu, University of Kashmir, Sher -e- Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology (SKUAST), Central University of Jammu, and Central University of Kashmir.
There also have been various government initiatives for the development of education in J&K like the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Beti Anmol Scheme, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, CM Scooty Scheme etc. J&K also adheres to the National Education Policies launched by the Indian government.
Education has a key hold in enhancing the economic potential of the country. Massive educational development would yield high employment generation of the skilled labour resulting into overall growth in the GDP.
Infrastructural development of the government educational institutes, economic decentralization in the five tier model of education through the implementation of various governmental policies, opening up of various research oriented educational programmes, various government sponsored scholarships to prestigious domestic and foreign institutions (especially for the socially and economically marginalized communities), public – private partnerships, fixing minimum fee for economically under privileged in the private educational institutes by substantial government reservation schemes, government based awareness programmes for the educators on enhancing the skilled capital productivity by upgrading the new forms of teaching methods with massive thrust on technological advancements and extensive research based studies (which focuses on the creative intelligence rather than the theoretical), various awareness programmes for the students regarding the maximum utilization of their capital potential including the development of emotional intelligence and enhancement of their skill which would add to their market value growth, specific governmental policies and programmes for increasing the growth rate of the female literacy rate, assimilating the notion of conscious citizenship and lastly providing various student educational loans on low interest rates by the various government incentives – all these factors would economically solidify education into a structurally multilateral framework.
Thus, for the proper implementation of various government led educational-economic policies, accountability would play a decisive role.
Peer Urfa Moin, Scholar Political Science, University of Delhi.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.
The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.