The University of Kashmir (KU) is introducing evening courses in various subjects from this year, but the move has ruffled many a feathers. Much of the criticism is centred on varsity’s ability (or inability) to make it work. Dean Academic Affairs, Prof. Mohd Ashraf Wani told Kahsmir Impulse that the university had the required infrastructure for the move. Whatever was lacking, he said,would be made up by next year with revenue generated from the courses. “Those courses and departments where we do not have the required infrastructure and faculty will not be included in the courses this year. We will first develop them and then act accordingly in the coming years,” Wani said. The fact that the university is banking on potential revenue to develop required infrastructure is in itself the centre of criticism. “The University is not prepared for these courses. It will be a failure,” a KU lecturer, who doesn’t want to be named, said. Many students are sharing similar concerns. “I don’t have an issue with the evening courses but I am worried about the quality of education,” said Humaira, a student. “The quality of education imparted in the university is not good. We need quality teachers which is lacking,” she added. Vice Chancellor Khurshid Iqbal Andrabi, however, is optimistic about the move. He says that the courses would induce a healthy environment for education and research on the campus. “There is hardly any university in the world that works 10am to 4pm like ours. University is a place where education should be imparted round the clock and these classes are a step in that direction,”Andrabi told Kashmir Impulse.

The move also comes as a relief to students who were unable to secure admission in the day courses, and don’t have an option to go outside the state for higher education. “It is great if I get admission in the evening course. I don’t want to lose a year. These courses mean that the chances of studying in the University are more,” says an ecstatic Farkhanda, who has already lost a year because she couldn’t qualify the university entrance last year. Farkhanda’s enthusiasm about the evening courses is shared by many aspirants like her. The only concern is that the education quality should be maintained, rather upgraded. While supporters of the move say revenue generated by the courses will help the university develop better infrastructure, opponents say the whole exercise is aimed at generating revenue. Andrabi refutes the allegations that revenue generation was a primary concern. “Revenue is not why we started the evening courses. The intention is to provide a great environment for education,” Andrabi said. “Obviously we have to charge the students and the fee to these courses is nominally higher.” Dismissing the controversy surrounding the courses he added, “If we had decided to open a restaurant in the campus, no one would have talked about it. But these classes are the talk of the town.” The university has already introduced the choice-based credit system where students have core subjects in the week and optional ones on the weekends. The evening shifts will be held only for the core subjects and the optional ones will be held together for both the shifts.