The seeds of first university in Kashmir were planted immediately after India gained its independence from British. The university has evolved from providing basic education to valleyites into a full-fledged university offering courses in various streams.
Kashmir University is situated on the western side of world famous Dal Lake, surrounded with beautiful gardens (Bagh), namely Amar sing bagh, Naseem bagh, Mirza Bagh. The campus is filled with world famous Chinar trees (Maple) and views from close by mountains and lake make it one of the beautiful universities in world.
Despite several decades since its establishment, the Kashmir University is yet to achieve desired excellence especially in the arena of research.
Research is said to be heart of a vibrant institution, but the University of Kashmir, the premier academic seat of Kashmir looks to have failed in securing this important objective. The laboratories and the research output of the institution fail to meet the desired competitive standards.
Many of the laboratories and research centres lag the proper infrastructure to produce quality research.
In a major apprehension, which could have serious repercussions on the field of research at the University of Kashmir, the varsity has failed to increase the stipend of scholars who are presently getting a meagre monthly stipend of Rs 2500—far less than in other universities.
In addition, very few research scholars get monthly stipend, whileas majority is left high and dry. Many PhD and M.Phil students (all wishing anonymity) from law department, political science, geography, geology and EMMRC proclaimed that University of Kashmir is holding Grade-A accredited by NAAC and providing much better quality of education but inside story is like chalk and cheese.
Research scholars vehemently state there is nothing new in the research process in Kashmir University, they have been recommended to research on the same old topics and field of areas that are obsolete since years. They insist that authorities should give them freedom to research and choose our area of interests. They believe that after acquiring high qualification, there seems nothing to cherish being educated. When they apply for job, they say there is hidden policy, which is operating silently in the university. “I have seen new trend emerging in this university, they take brands from JNU, Jamia Millia University and other well-known Universities even if they don’t deserve. They ignore their own students because they do not have that name tag instead of witnessing good potential and calibre. The merit and potential should hold the ground”, one of Law PhD said.
Others added that they do not have updated library, do not get material they need and are supposed to move out to avail better facilities, which is not affordable for every one of them and is hindering in their research process.
According to reliable sources, Kashmir University provides stipend only to four students, two from PhD and two from MPhil, in every department based on scholarship but that too is equivalent to nothing in present world. Voices insist that there should be impressive increase in stipend, which attracts more aspiring PhD students here.
Moreover, the bigger problem is that there is lot of red tapism involved from the very beginning of scholar’s journey, actually after submitting synopsis; it takes ample amount of time from registration to get award of the degree. Instead of three-year course, it takes five years to become a scholar. “We cannot display our work the way scholars outside are able to do, perhaps we lack exposure, facilities or opportunities”, they chipped in.
In the effervescent context of Kashmir University, some more students shared their experiences from the department of geography – the mother of all subjects. The department is currently holding 40 PhD and MPhil students in there, intake capacity of students rely on the number of professors and assistant professors in the concern departments. Four students are sub-ordinate to assistant professor and eight students to professor. After their scholars journey, mere three posts felicitate them by the state government from past 10 years.
Indeed, there is skinned job security in every field. However, university’s affords are not worth to discuss, placement cell is just on the books else does not seem effective anywhere. They do not want more aspiring scholars to come in this field. “We go out for analysis and every time it’s not feasible to cope without equipments. The university lacks infrastructure and needs to be upgraded”, they suggested.
Scholars believe that resident period is maximum three years but haplessly two years goes in paper work only and completion of course extends up to six years. Faculty and concerned authorities are not co-operative, the library doors remain closed after 3:30 p.m, a student has to face difficulties if he/she wants to spare more time to study in the library. Neither library remains open on Sundays nor does the facility of central library exist. Students question which place to go and seek eco-research methodology to put their positive energy for the good work.
Scholars demand that University of Kashmir needs to regulate their system of running institution for scholars and intellectuals. They should encourage conflict synopsis and allow practical, creative and relevant topics to research. They should avoid fiddling with their time and make it possible for them to accomplish their target within the given phase. Students claim that they want to explore them and need things to speed up but system pulls them down every time.
While as its counterpart, Jammu University just sometime back played a lead role in globally noted experiment like the ALICE Project in High Energy Physics that is seeking to simulate, in the laboratory, the Big Bang that led to the creation of the Universe, in collaboration with Institutions in other parts of India and Europe. The Big Bang experiment makes headlines the world over few years back, a significant contribution to the scientific project comes from India too. Apart from the 13 Indian scientists – who are part of the experiment being conducted in Geneva – there was another important India connection. Scientists from Jammu University had overcome all odds and infrastructural problems to create component crucial to the experiment. The component called Photon Multiplicity Detector, being used in one of the four collision points in the Large Hadrons Collider, was developed in a small room of Jammu University.
This has been a path breaking achievement while as the University of Kashmir has failed to achieve these global feats.