Srinagar, Nov 07: The National Education Policy-2020 envisions reorienting and restructuring the higher education system to address the “emerging” challenges in providing quality education to the aspirants, Vice-Chancellor University of Kashmir Prof Nilofer Khan said on Monday.
The Vice-Chancellor was addressing a one-day national seminar on Total Quality Management (TQM) organised jointly by the varsity’s Directorate of Internal Quality Assurance (DIQA) and the Department of Management Studies.
Prof Nilofer, the chief guest at the inaugural session, said the NEP-2020 has “broken the traditional confines” of academics, thus necessitating the need for a clear focus on meeting the new quality parameters in teaching, learning and research.
Congratulating the organisers for holding the very important seminar, Prof Nilofer said the University is committed to meet the quality parameters in key areas of academics, research and extension education to make a more visible mark on the national academic landscape.
“We have already started plugging a few grey areas, including our connection with the alumni, to fare better in the next NAAC re-accreditation and NIRF ranking with active cooperation of all our stakeholders,” she said.
Vice-Chancellor Ahmedabad University and former director IIM-Bangalore Prof Pankaj Chandra delivered the keynote address, emphasising on the importance of good governance of universities to create “high quality institutions”.
“How best you govern an institution at all levels defines its ‘culture’ and this culture leads to learning, advantages and encourages students and faculty to do the best,” he said, adding that “when an institution’s culture is right, the compliance, accreditation and assurance will naturally follow”.
Dean Academics Prof Farooq A Masoodi underlined how “intrinsic” and “extrinsic” factors influence quality management in institutions.
Registrar Dr Nisar A Mir gave a detailed account of quality concerns in the country’s higher education institutions. He said the University of Kashmir is addressing all issues that impede its ranking and the present seminar is a step in that direction.
Director DIQA Prof Manzoor A Shah gave an overview of the seminar and its intended objectives, saying the quality discourse today has to be understood from the “global perspective”.
Head Department of Management Studies Prof Iqbal Hakeem delivered the welcome address and highlighted the importance of the present seminar to help boost the culture of quality management in the University.
Deputy Director DIQA Mr ShowketShafi delivered the vote of thanks, while Dr Aijaz Akbar, Organising Secretary of the seminar, from the Department of Management Studies conducted proceedings of the inaugural session, which was attended by senior academics including Prof Mushtaq A Darzi, Prof S Mufeed Ahmad, besides Joint Registrars, faculty and students of the Management Studies Department.
On the occasion, the Vice-Chancellor released a brochure containing abstracts of more than 30 papers presented during the TQM seminar.
