Editorial . . . . . . . 

All colleges in Jammu and Kashmir will offer a 30-credit optional skill certification programme this year, according to Mr.  Rohit Kansal, principal secretary of the higher education department (HED), who made the announcement at a seminar a few weeks ago. This will be in addition to the undergraduate program’s UGC-required curriculum, and its objective is to give students a second skill certification that will improve their employability. The contemporary economy’s strength is said to be its emphasis on technical education. The standard of education provided and acquired through various institutions and platforms has determined how economies have developed. Currently, a country’s technological superiority determines its position on the global platform, and this position is directly correlated with the quality of its educational system. Take the United States of America as an example. Which is regarded as one of the world’s top leaders, if not the only one. One of the primary factors in her development into a giant economy is the immense technological power and ongoing advancement of such technologies over time. The technology available to harness those resources effectively determines a country’s true worth, including its economic, political, and social status; the availability of resources is not the sole factor that determines its economic power. In terms of space technology, India has also recently performed admirably and received high accolades from nations all over the world for its accomplishments in launching numerous satellites into orbit. As India makes this service available to other countries, this has the potential to generate a lot of revenue. On the other hand, there are numerous resource-rich nations that yet face significant economic challenges. These nations are frequently dependent on foreign technologies, and they are frequently taken advantage of in the pretext of improving the economic standing of their citizens.

It is important to note that innovations do not appear at our doorsteps out of anywhere; rather, they are the product of a nation’s citizens, particularly its educated population, and its policymakers, who have fought hard and persistently for them. If we examine the technologically advanced nations, we will see that these nations have a robust and well-organized educational sector, particularly in the area of basic education. Higher education institutions do, however, contribute significantly to the development of a country in many different ways. However, the foundation for students’ innovative spirit and scientific temperament is laid by the quality of instruction at the school level, particularly at the primary level. Children’s creativity is encouraged or permitted to develop at this level. The scope of technical developments, which are a result of creativity mixed with hard effort, dedication, and devotion, is greatly influenced by how much creativity is allowed to flourish in a young mind. However, it’s also possible that at this point, creativity tragically dies. And the lopsided student-to-teacher ratio is one of the causes of such incidents occurring in schools, particularly in our region of the world. It is not feasible for a teacher to present a lesson, assign homework, check all of the students’ homework, and simultaneously evaluate their learning given the time window for a single class and the high number of students. While the required student-to-teacher ratio is appropriate in certain schools and the teachers are able to accomplish their jobs well, it is pathetic in other schools. In rural places, the teacher-to-student ratio might be so low that there are only two or three teachers for an entire primary school, and occasionally just one teacher oversees the entire institution. How can we or how can they expect to carry out justice? This has a severe impact on the students at a time in their lives when they should have been laying the groundwork and building strong foundations to contribute to technical advancement. This type of skewness, where some schools are understaffed with instructors while others are overstaffed, has serious effects on both the quality of education and other areas as well.

Additionally, according to Dr. Samoon, the J&K government is committed to promoting the introduction of quality education that is focused on skills in order to give the community, particularly youth, access to need-based practical and specialized education as part of the Skill Development Programme. “Skill development is urgently needed, and the MoUs with technical institutions will play a key role in the development of J&K. Government cannot complete this mission on its own, but joint efforts of the government, business stakeholders, IIMs, and IITs would result in a skill revolution in J&K.