KU defends relaxed admission guidelines

Srinagar, Nov 21: The University of Kashmir (KU) Thursday defended its relaxed admission guidelines saying it was done to support the students who were affected by the delay in results.

The KU in a clarification statement issued here said that the varsity had always given priority to maintaining high academic standards and complied with the established guidelines and norms.

Referring to the news story ‘KU bends admission policy for key management programmes, draws flak,’ and its subsequent follow-up story ‘KU issues MBA admission notice afresh, adds entrance test rider,’ that appeared in Greater Kashmir, it said that the present admission policy was relaxed in consideration of the academic careers of those students who graduated from colleges and universities where results were declared late.

“For instance, in this case, the university received numerous representations from students of Cluster University, Srinagar, whose graduation results were delayed, preventing them from applying for the management programme at the university. The university decided to exercise flexibility in the admission criteria to permit deserving candidates in its commitment to the larger interests of the student community. This approach was taken to ensure that students who faced unforeseen delays would not lose an academic year. It aligns with the varsity’s objective of providing fair opportunities to all aspiring candidates as envisioned in the NEP-2020,” the KU statement said.

It said that the KU would like to clarify that the institution had always given priority to maintaining high academic standards and complied with the established guidelines and norms.

“In addition to this, some seats in the management programmes at the university’s satellite campus and affiliated colleges remained vacant after the initial admission process was completed. Hence, the decision to admit students without a CMAT score was made, which is consistent with established precedence. In instances where seats remain vacant after the initial admission process is completed, the Vice Chancellor is authorised to hold an entrance exam to fill these seats. This practice has been followed in the past by former Vice Chancellors as well. Such measures are taken to make sure that deserving students are not left out and are allowed to continue their studies. Recently, one of the universities in the Kashmir division conducted walk-in admissions and on-spot admissions to fill their vacant seats and relaxed the eligibility criteria,” the KU statement said.

It said that for professional courses like B Tech, M Pharma, and others where admissions are primarily based on national-level exam scores, any seats that remain vacant after this process could be filled without requiring the national score as eligibility criteria.

“This provision is kept so that the students who cannot afford the high cost of higher education outside may continue their studies without interruption,” the statement said.

It said that the university’s actions align with the government’s directive issued from time to time, which emphasises the need to fill all available seats in colleges and universities to make sure that students benefit from the infrastructure and facilities developed for them.

“Higher educational institutions have been directed very recently to provide for on-spot admissions to thousands of students into the first semester who have recently passed their 12th examination to save their valuable time and ensure their access to higher education without loss of one academic year,” the KU statement said.

It said that the university reiterates its commitment to academic integrity and assures all stakeholders that its policies were designed to uphold the institution’s reputation and provide the best and most accessible education to deserving candidates.