Amidst the reported absence of teaching staff across various departments at the North Campus of the University of Kashmir (KU), students have claimed that they have not attended any classes since the campus reopened after the winter break.
According to a student from the International Master of Business Administration (IMBA) department, students have been staying home due to the lack of teaching staff. They stated, “We haven’t attended classes because there are no teachers available.” The student expressed concern over the absence of permanent faculty members, saying, “If this continues, we may struggle to cover the syllabus, and our fifth-semester exams are likely to be scheduled for next month.”
Another student from the Computer Science Engineering department remarked on the irony of the university establishing satellite campuses without adequately staffing them. Sources within the North Campus of Kashmir University highlighted the need for more contractual lecturers, particularly in the Computer Science (CSC) and IMBA departments. They mentioned a requirement for at least 11 contractual lecturers in the CSC department and stated that there are currently around 20 permanent teaching faculty members across the satellite campus.
While some contractual lecturers have reportedly been selected following interviews, formal orders have yet to be issued. The situation is compounded by the fact that the MCA department has only five permanent teaching staff members, and the IMBA department has three. The M.Ed department is reportedly being managed by only one assistant professor.
With approximately 700 students enrolled across all departments, efforts are being made to address the staffing issues. The campus director has taken up the matter with relevant officials at the University of Kashmir, and plans are underway to recruit new contractual lecturers. It is hoped that the situation will be resolved within a few weeks. However, the Vice Chancellor of KU, Professor Neelofer Khan, was unavailable for comment on the matter.
