Higher Education Council meet:LG pushes ‘Design Your Degree’, AI in J&K universities

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25 Apr 2026

Says UT’s education sector must stand as model of excellence

Jammu, Apr 24: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday chaired a high-level meeting of the Jammu Kashmir Higher Education Council at Lok Bhavan, deliberating on comprehensive strategies aimed at driving the holistic transformation of the education sector across the Union Territory.

The meeting was attended by Prof Dinesh Singh, Vice Chairman, J&K Higher Education Council; Shailendra Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department; Dr Mandeep K. Bhandari, Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor; Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, Administrative Secretary, Skill Development; Ram Niwas Sharma, Commissioner Secretary, Higher Education Department; Vice Chancellors of various universities including Prof Umesh Rai (JU), Prof Nilofer Khan (KU), Prof Shakil Ahmad Romshoo (IUST), Pragati Kumar (SMVDU), Prof BN Tripathi (SKUAST Jammu), Prof A. Ravinder Nath (CUK), Prof Sanjeev Jain (CUK Jammu), Prof Jawaid Iqbal (BGSBU), Prof Mohammad Mobin (Cluster University Srinagar); Director IIT Jammu Prof Manoj Singh Gaur; Prof Kavi Arya from IIT Bombay; Ms Shobha Bagai, Director, Cluster Innovation Centre Delhi University; and other members.

The Council deliberated on key agendas, including implementation of the 'Design Your Degree' (DYD) programme and the adoption of its official manual across universities, integration of IT and Artificial Intelligence into the curriculum, strategies to promote entrepreneurship and knowledge-based skills, and developing human capital for Viksit Bharat.

The Lieutenant Governor directed for effective, on-ground implementation of 'Design Your Degree', skill development, artificial intelligence, and other innovative programmes and initiatives across higher educational institutions. He also called for seamless synergy between Central and Union Territory educational institutions to drive a holistic transformation of the education sector.

"We must establish benchmarks aligned with both national and international standards, ensuring that Jammu and Kashmir's education sector stands as a model of excellence in the country," the Lieutenant Governor said.

Prof Dinesh Singh, Vice Chairman, JKHEC, said the core mission must remain the realisation of human potential, ensuring that higher education directly fosters societal service and enhances student productivity.

The Council also deliberated on setting up a regular mechanism to ensure cooperation and collaboration between various institutions for engendering joint degree programmes and a common technology-based platform for sharing practices, ideas, and programmes; increasing the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER); special initiatives such as 'The Riverine College' and the AI Competition; and JKHEC budget utilization for 2025-26 and budget allocations for 2026-27.

Vice Chancellors and members of the Council shared their insights on the way forward for the DYD programme and further interventions in higher education with the implementation of NEP 2020.

Prof Sheikh Ajaz Bashir, Director of Colleges, J&K; Dr Seema Naz, Nodal Principal, Government College of Education; and Dr Ravinder Kumar Tickoo, Principal, GCW Parade Jammu, also attended the meeting.