I am writing on behalf of myself and my fellow unemployed graduates in Biotechnology and Biochemistry of the Jammu & Kashmir state. We are extremely concerned with the state of our administration at the helm who pay little attention at our likely seeming unending sufferings due to non availability of a well off placed job policy in our state. At a time when J&K government is boasting on imparting quality education, the higher secondary schools in J&K are taking a toll on academics of thousands of students who are suffering in absence of infrastructure and subject specific teachers for some newly introduced 5th subjects. In 2004, subjects like Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Functional English, Environmental Science, Applied Mathematics, Electronics and Information Technology were introduced as 5th subjects in the Higher Secondary institutions. The same were made compulsory from 2008, but the subjects were introduced without the creation of staff and infrastructure, leading to deterioration in the quality of education besides affecting the results. In scores of schools across the state, Biotechnology is taught by Zoology teachers and the marking of the answer scripts is done by Chemistry teachers. Similarly, Environmental Science is taught by Chemistry teachers and the marking is done by Zoology or Botany teachers. It is unfortunate that the subjects were introduced without any manpower, infrastructure or a sound policy vis-à-vis admissions to 5th subjects, seeming that it is like round pegs in square holes.
There are about 600 higher secondary schools in Jammu and Kashmir, 300 in the Kashmir Valley alone. But there is hardly any infrastructure in place for the subjects which are mostly of practical nature. It is really pathetic that subjects like Biotechnology and Biochemistry are taught in absence of laboratory facilities and subject-specific teachers. Even the students who after finishing their intermediate studies apply for NEET for admission to various undergraduate courses in medical and allied streams, suffer heavily to qualify due to lack of exposure in advanced study courses like Biotechnology & Biochemistry that are given due consideration while preparing papers for NEET. Every year scores of students complete their post-graduation in the subjects from Kashmir University. They could be easily engaged to teach the 5th subjects. But there is nobody to listen to us. It was Board that came up with a syllabus and introduced the subject. In 2008, about 8000 students failed in one go in the Environmental Sciences because of the paucity of staff and infrastructure, (Greater Kashmir, 26 April 2010). There have to be clear cut policy guidelines as to how the state system can admit students for the fifth subject. Whenever director school education came up with a proposal in front of finance department for creation of requisite vacancies, the same was rejected or unnecessarily deffered for reasons best known to authorities at the helm, who at times in wake of some conflicting interest with the departments make aspirants to suffer for years leading to destruction of their careers. Recently J&K finance dept. held a review meeting for giving nod to 468 posts of lecturer’s in these newly introduced but faculty deficient subjects, the same was withheld and deffered citing reasons that DSEK is not able to clear the pending case of 41000 ReTs who had been engaged unnecessarily and without positions available at the time of their engagement. The finance dept. cleared the air before DSEK, that as soon as they decide the fate of these ReTs and resolve the case whatsoever earlier, the proposals held in queue will be taken for acceptance and financial consent. Sir, whatever the situation at ground is, it is we unemployed graduates, post-graduates, doctorates and post-doctorates who are made to suffer and compelled to leave the state and serve foreign soil in wake of existing and ever increasing unemployment scenario in state. This way brain drain happens in the state and the cream layer that excel on every fronts leave our state forever to disgrace our immediate conscience.
As we all know, Science holds economic value in it’s essential & true essence based on availability of pre-existing natural resources in every part of world to unravel the hidden potential of nature. The involvement and development of science caters to local & international demands through commulative & combined approach of performing science. Though basic sciences works out the fundamental existence of different phenomena’s in universe, the more developing and emerging interdisciplinary fields holding applied value meet out the rising demand of various modern sophisticated medical, industrial and other necessities of day today importance. Applied sciences are promoted in every part of world and students in their infancy of development are callibrated to take interest in and to develop required man power so to meet out the challenges imposed on sate economies, defence and development through integrative globalization. Verily our state jammu & Kashmir that is the repository of important natural resources from medicinal and aromatic plants to cash crops, to great reservoirs of precious metals in different regions all over, are lagging well behind their counterparts in research and development. Yet the state government is unmoved and nothing new in this regard has been put in place to work out the modalities, it need immediate attention of state authorities to tap this still untapped potential through various modern scientific approach based research policies. Being an ecofragile zone, the state focus should also be on scientific exploration to counter the immediate dangers state is facing in the form of natural calamities like floods and earthquakes. Authorities should have been inquisitive enough to promote research on applied sciences to cater to all these issues, but nothing so had happened from past many decades. Though in a way to develop interest among students towards applied science at grassroot level by introducing subjects like Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Applied mathematics & information technology both at school and college level, but once out from there, these students are shown door to stay at home due to least employment opportunities they are provided here. Facing acute problem to get absorbed in the state government, the applied science persuing trent is slowly dying due to administrative mismanagement and vogue employment policies. They are creating pool of intellectuals from colleges and universities but for not to focus on research and final outcome in the form of R & D, they are only given degrees to be destroyed and disappointed in wake of rising unemployment in the state. Our graduates and doctorates are facing immense challenges in terms of employment opportunities as we are seeing these subjects introduced but without faculty at the helm of affairs to disseminate the right things. No one from concerned ministry is eying towards this rising trend of unemployment in state. Our worthy administrators should had intervened, if state dispensation is really trustworthy towards both developing this sector at grass root level for societal benefit as well as towards the student community who against all odds have come forward and persued their careers in these subjects that are employment generating tools elsewhere in other parts of the world but not here as of now. Our state is a hotspot of natual reservours and students are actively keen to contribute to the state by taking this rich endemism into consideration, but for that they should be entrusted with job opportunities after being out from colleges and universities. This way we will keep a balance between technological upliftment at state level and student career’s at individual level in a collaborative and integrative administrative mutualism of opinion.
Therefore, it is requested on behalf of all the unemployed aspirants, to work out modalities and issue necessary directions to the concerned quarters to rationalize the teacher-students ratio vis-à-vis different subjects and creation of requisite vacancies to upgrade our deprived schools of what they deserve most, taking into consideration those passouts, who had aspired for a charming career in these highly and advanced courses that can hold monopoly over all other subjects keeping in view the rich agro-climatic condition of J&K state in consideration, by creating a talented manpower who could be torch bearers for enlightenment for the deprived state society of Jammu & Kashmir.
This is submitted for your consideration and kind action.
Thanking you.
Yours faithfully,
Unemployed Biotechnology/Biochemistry graduates of state.
The author is DST INSPIRE Fellow currently persuing Ph.D in Biotechnology from CSIR IIIM Jammu, (J&K)
