Jammu, 13 March (H.S.): Minister for Education, Social Welfare, Health and Medical Education, Sakeena Itoo today remarked that the Government is committed to strengthen higher education sector in Jammu and Kashmir, asserting thatt our vision is to position J&K as a hub of quality higher education and research excellence.

The Minister made these remarks while chairing a high level meeting to assess academic performance, research initiatives and institutional development of all Universities of Jammu and Kashmir.

The meeting was attended by Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu Prof. Umesh Rai; Vice Chancellor, University of Kashmir Prof. Nilofer Khan; Vice Chancellor, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University Prof. Pragati Kumar; Vice Chancellor, Islamic University of Science and Technology Prof. Shakeel Ahmad Ramshoo; Vice Chancellor, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University Prof. Jawaid Iqbal; Vice Chancellor, Cluster University Jammu Dr. K.S. Chandreshekar; Vice Chancellor, Cluster University Srinagar Prof. Mohammad Mobin; Dean Research Jammu University, Registrars and senior officials of the Higher Education department.

During the meeting, the Minister undertook a comprehensive review of academic functioning, research output, faculty development programmes, infrastructure expansion and student-focused initiatives being implemented across universities in J&K.

“Universities are engines of innovation, centres of knowledge creation and pillars of societal transformation. They must evolve into vibrant ecosystems where ideas flourish, research thrives and young minds are empowered to shape the future,” she stated.

Highlighting the need to nurture a strong research culture in Jammu and Kashmir, the Minister urged Vice Chancellors to identify priority research areas aligned with the region’s specific needs. She stressed that need is to focus on sustainable development, climate resilience, agricultural innovation, tourism studies, technology integration and social science research relevant to the unique socio-economic landscape of J&K.

She called for greater interdisciplinary collaboration, stronger industry partnerships and better utilization of research funding to enhance outcomes and improve global academic visibility.

The Minister also reviewed ongoing research projects, patent filings and publication records, encouraging universities to actively promote incubation centres, start-up ecosystems and technology transfer mechanisms that can translate ideas into real-world impact.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar