Universities across Jammu and Kashmir now have six months to put a programme called 'Design Your Degree' into practice. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha set the deadline on Wednesday, November 4, while chairing a meeting of the J&K Higher Education Council (JKHEC) at Lok Bhavan.
What was decided
According to The Tribune's report of the meeting, the Council discussed a roadmap on academic excellence, research and innovation. The key agenda items were sharing academic credits and resources between institutions, and restructuring undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in line with the 'Design Your Degree' framework and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The LG called for institutions to share academic credits, research laboratories and other resources, and said successful implementation would need deep-rooted institutional change and a long-term strategy. He also asked for artificial intelligence and modern technologies to be built into academic programmes, and for programmes to reflect local languages, culture and regional needs. JKHEC Vice-Chairman Prof Dinesh Singh asked for policy directives to align UG and PG curricula with the framework.
Greater Kashmir's report adds that the Council discussed how a task force would integrate artificial intelligence (machine learning and deep learning) and data science into UG and PG programmes; it reports the discussion, not a formed task force.
The Council also reviewed ongoing initiatives, including Engineering Kitchens and entrepreneurship programmes, and looked at budget allocations and reforms in how funds are allocated. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Higher Education Minister Shamim Firdous attended, along with vice-chancellors of several universities.
What it could mean for a student
The published report does not describe how the programme will work for a student, so what follows is the stated direction rather than a rule book. Sharing academic credits between institutions points towards students being able to count coursework done elsewhere, and shared laboratories would open facilities beyond a student's own campus. Neither the report nor the meeting summary says which courses, which universities or which batch will see this first.
What has not been announced
- The detailed framework, and whether it applies to students already enrolled or only to new admissions.
- How credits earned at one university will be recognised at another.
- Which academic session the first changes would apply to.
Six months from November 4 runs to early May 2027, so the next admission cycle is the one to watch. JammuBeat will report the framework when the Higher Education Department or the universities publish it.
Sources: The Tribune, J&K L-G sets 6-month deadline for universities to implement 'Design Your Degree'; Greater Kashmir, LG Sinha sets 6-month clock ticking for university reforms (photo of the November 4 meeting at Lok Bhavan, Jammu).
