SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government has told the Legislative Assembly that no proposal has been received to convert the North Campus of the University of Kashmir into a separate university for north Kashmir, even as members raised concerns that climatic, geographic and affordability barriers in areas such as Uri limit access to higher education. The Higher Education Department said any such proposal, if submitted, would be examined on academic and infrastructural grounds.
Officials pointed to an existing network of institutions across the subregion, saying 26 government degree colleges operate in the northern districts of Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora and together enrol 30,680 students — of whom 16,297 are female. The department said these colleges, along with the University of Kashmir’s satellite centres at Delina and the Kupwara Campus, Wayan, are being strengthened through expansion of programmes, better hostel and support facilities, and enhanced faculty and administrative resources.
The reply acknowledged the distinct climatic and topographical character of north Kashmir and that distance and socio-economic factors “are among the important considerations” in planning outreach. It said the University is taking measures to expand infrastructure and academic outreach at its satellite campuses to improve local access and reduce travel and affordability pressures on students from far-flung areas.
However, the department made clear there is no current plan to convert the North Campus into an independent university. “No such proposal has, so far, been received in Higher Education Department to examine the feasibility of converting the North Campus,” the official response stated, adding that any future proposal would be examined for academic viability and resource implications.
The Assembly papers set out the government’s position without committing to a timetable for new measures beyond ongoing campus strengthening. The data also underlines the present scale of provision in the area: 26 degree colleges serving a student body of 30,680, and active satellite campuses that the department says are being reinforced.
