Hard times at Kashmir University

In the absence of an official students' union, troubles pile up for students soon after admission.

WrittenBy:Aasif Wani
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The excitement and enthusiasm of students enrolled at University of Kashmir (known as Kashmir University, KU) – the state’s so-called institute of higher education – wanes soon after they enter campus. In fact, it is not long before they begin to regret being there. The new students of KU and affiliated colleges are hit by an edifice of problems with no apparatus to redress them. Thus, they are left with no choice but to suffer everything that comes their way.

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The ban on a students’ union, placed in 2009, helps the authorities go ahead with anti-student steps. They are not answerable to anyone and fear no confrontation from anybody, as the unorganised and scattered students from different classes, departments and colleges have no united representation and are easily quelled.

In November 2015, KU suspended eight law students from the hostel, department and campus for what the authorities called was “an attempt to assault a professor”. Following the action, a huge protest erupted on campus, during which the students alleged that the action was “an attempt to suppress their voice by framing some students in a baseless case”.

All eight students were put under immense pressure and remained suspended for three consecutive months due to the unorganised protests in the absence of an official students’ body to take up their case with the authorities. “There was no free and fair trial in the case and only law students were targeted as they are outspoken and take part in protests,” said one of the suspended students on the condition of anonymity.

Last year, a hostel boarder was hit by a speeding car and the driver fled after threatening the students who stopped him. Later, when the students started looking for the driver in the quarters (where the employees live), their names were blacklisted. “There were (blacklisted) students who were not even part of the gathering. The authorities try in every possible way to suppress legitimate voices,” said one student. Another one, Saifullah Shahzad, pointed out that it should be students deciding the menus at dhabas, canteens, and cafeterias. “But everything goes reverse in the absence of a student body and an elite culture is given birth,” he said.

According to law student Syed Manzar, “nepotism and favoritism are on the rise on campus. Students who come from political or bureaucratic backgrounds are given priority at many levels and the wards of middle-class families are overlooked. This is just because there is no mechanism on campus to take up our issues and the authorities are accountable to no one.”

The residents of all hostels (in which private contractors run the mess) allege that even if students are absent for months from the hostel, they are still charged as if they were present and eating every day. Aarif, a student, said they approached the provost of the university about this particular concern, but the issue was not resolved.

The purpose of a union is to ensure that the voice of students is heard, be on a par with the authorities in decision-making and collectively bargain with them so that basic interests of the students are protected. But, nothing of this sort exists at Kashmir University. Whether the issue is trivial or serious, the students have no say. They are instead always at the receiving end, with one-sided action going on for years.

First, second and final-year students of the colleges affiliated to KU allege that their exams are not held on time and three-year studies have been extended to four years because of delayed results. On the other side, postgraduate students in the main campus are angry over the new examination scheme, according to which students have to write a paper for each chapter, which leaves them no leisure time and every day becomes an examination day. Moreover, academic study has been reduced to examinations.

On banning the students’ union in 2009, then chief proctor Mohd Afzal Zargar had said no politics would be allowed on campus and an apolitical students’ welfare forum would be set up. However, that never became a reality and students have not been allowed to form their own body. An RTI plea filed by All Jammu and Kashmir Students’ Union (AJKSU) activist Naveed Bukhtiyar revealed that the ban on KU’s union was “unofficial”. “I have been trying to meet the vice-chancellor regarding the same and applied thrice for an appointment, but I never heard back,” Bukhtiyar said.

Students are fed up with the administrative failure and negligence. While the absence of an organised body adds to their sufferings, the unorganised and leaderless group of angry youth often ends up in unwanted scrapes. Their complaints about fee hikes, poor quality of education, arrogance of the clerical staff and lack of infrastructure are endless.

Meanwhile, the recent ban on political and religious discussions on campus has turned into an attempt to encourage ignorance among students and ensure that they don’t speak up for their rights.

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