Amid enrollment challenges: Distance education not ideal option for class 12th passouts: Director Colleges

Srinagar, Jan 22: Director Colleges J&K, Prof Sheikh Aijaz Bashir on Thursday said that the distance mode of education was not ideal for the class 12th passouts saying that the move deprives the student of overall rounded development.

In an exclusive conversation with Greater Kashmir on the sidelines of a meeting with college principals at Government Degree College Baramulla, Prof. Sheikh Aijaz Bashir said a 12th class pass out student opting for distance mode was not a good trend. "When a student comes to college, he/she connects with young people, young minds and his personality develops, his articulation gets better. And he becomes a responsible citizen," he told Greater Kashmir.

The statement comes at a time when the Higher Education Department (HED) is facing a challenge in terms of enrollment of students in colleges for different Under Graduate (UG) courses. The problem persists more in newly established colleges. Director Colleges said that distance mode of learning was a separate vertical which is meant for a different class of people. "Our youth should move towards the colleges as these colleges are meant for them. And they should not only move towards legacy colleges but to other (new) colleges as well," he said.

Director Colleges said the government was spending a budget of more than Rs 500 crore in CAPEX on higher education. "So HED is a major focus of the government as it is getting major funding. Our youth need to take advantage of that. Parents also need to understand and deliberate on it," he said. When asked that distance mode (IGNOU) was considered a better option for the students as it enables the students to earn while learning, the director of colleges J&K said that education does not mean only taking a degree but overall development. "I am not saying that IGNOU is not an option, It is a wonderful option and IGNOU is doing wonders in the country in terms of distance mode of education," Director Colleges said. "Education is not only to acquire a degree and move out. Education means to become an overall rounded personality," he said.

He said educating a person means to develop a personality who will face the system and society besides becoming a good citizen and understands what is the importance of being non-corrupt. "These things will only flow when the students go into an ecosystem. If the student goes to an education where he has to go for an examination and content is delivered at his home, that is not going to help him," he said.

He said that distance education was an option to upgrade the knowledge which mostly fits for in-service and elderly people. "But a youngster going to IGNOU is not a proper thing. They should start getting themselves educated. Their capacity should be built so that they become the growth engines of the society," Director Colleges told Greater Kashmir.