College on Wheels inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s life: LG

Katra, Nov 19: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Sunday said that College on Wheels was inspired by the life of Mahatma Gandhi.
An official spokesman in a statement issued here said that flagging off ‘Gyanodaya Express - College on Wheels’, the first-of-its-kind mobile educational endeavour in Jammu Kashmir, from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Railway Station, Katra, the LG said that the College on Wheels was inspired by the life of Mahatma Gandhi, where he undertook epic tour of the country by train, interacted with people from all walks of life, and awakened the society with universal and eternal values Satya and Ahimsa, truth and non-violence.

He commended the unique and unprecedented effort of the Higher Education Council, University of Jammu (JU) and everyone associated with the initiative aimed at empowering approximately 700 girl students from across universities of J&K.
“Gyanodaya Express will travel through various states and it will be an educational pilgrimage for the students. The journey endeavours to dissolve boundaries of classrooms, streams and evolve education by providing immersive, collaborative, and project-based learning experiences,” Sinha said. “Soon, a similar Gyanodaya Express will be flagged off from J&K comprising of male students from J&K’s universities and students from abroad.”

He said that for students, College on Wheels would be a journey of knowing oneself.
“It will be a lifetime opportunity to discover diverse regions, culture of the country and to explore new aspects of life and wisdom,” the LG said.
He said that the students would be able to collaborate on different subjects during the journey and create something new in the spirit of cooperation and teamwork.

“Train journey will strengthen trans-disciplinary education and provide the students with opportunity for experiential learning. They will be able to share experiences with each other and understand the issues, cultural and spiritual wealth of different regions,” Sinha said. “Train journey is considered as a voyage to transform the present form of knowledge. The journey of students along with mentors to centres of excellence such as Indian Navy, ISRO, Sabarmati Ashram will provide them with new ideas, insight and hands-on knowledge for new research.”

He interacted with the group of students, mentors and extended his best wishes to them.
Vice Chairman, J&K Higher Education Council, Prof Dinesh Singh and Vice Chancellor JU, Prof Umesh Rai highlighted the unique and innovative project ‘College on Wheels’ for empowerment of students by endowing them with experiential knowledge of the world outside the classrooms.
Gyanodaya Express- College on Wheels is aligned with the visionary National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and seeks to propel a shift from job seekers to job creators, fostering a culture of idea incubation, innovation, and skill development.

Beyond academic pursuits, the Gyanodaya Express will enable the students to gain a holistic understanding of the areas they visit. It will also serve as a catalyst for personal growth, innovation, and national unity.

A handbook on ‘College on Wheels’ and a publication on ‘Design your Degree’ programme were also released.
Chairman, District Development Council Reasi, Saraf Singh Nag; Director Tourism and Marketing, IRCTC, Kamlesh Kumar Mishra; vice chancellor of various universities, senior officers, heads of educational institutions, and faculty members were also present on the occasion.