Industry-academia alliance vital for growth: J&K Education Minister

Jammu and Kashmir Education Minister Sakeena Masood said on Tuesday that collaboration between academia and industry is the need of the hour in order to tackle growing challenges and opportunities of the modern world.

Masood, who is also minister for Health & Medical Education, and Social Welfare, on Tuesday inaugurated the ‘National Academia Industry Conclave 4.0—Cultivating Synergy’ at Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) in Kashmir.

Addressing the gathering, Masood underlined that this conclave will serve as a platform for fostering collaboration, innovation and exchange of ideas between the educational sector and industries, thereby contributing towards the overall development of Jammu and Kashmir.

She asserted that industry-academia partnerships are integral towards addressing pressing global issues, fostering innovation and ensuring that students are prepared for the evolving demands of the job market.

Calling for students to look beyond government jobs, the Minister advised the students to create opportunities for themselves in emerging sectors like tourism, hospitality and other sectors and be job creators rather than job seekers.

She said the contribution of growth in nation building is maximum through the education sector and it is one of the priority sectors for the government. “Our government is committed towards development of the education sector from the remotest areas and we are working on the policy of free education from 1st class to university level,” the minister said.

Masood also advised the University administration to promote Kashmiri language in the campus and make best efforts for its preservation and promotion.

During his address, Adviser to the Chief Minister, Nasir Aslam Wani, highlighted that this University has emerged as one of the top class universities not only in J&K but across the country. VC IUST, Shakeel Ahmad Ramshoo gave an outline about the progress and achievements of the University since its inception. He said that the university had developed a holistic curriculum that reflected the multi-disciplinary approach and underlined that the ‘Design Your Own Degree’ course of the university had emerged as one of the most innovative and successful initiatives of this varsity.