The Higher Education Department of Jammu and Kashmir has drafted a policy to establish private universities in the region. The policy will come into effect once it receives approval from the relevant authorities, Education Minister Sakina Itoo told the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
The minister said the department has prepared the policy, and after relevant approvals, it would enable the creation of private universities in the Union Territory.
At present, Jammu and Kashmir has 11 universities—nine state-run and two central universities.
Meanwhile, the region’s first crowdfunded university, the University of WathHarbor, has been officially announced.
Built entirely through public contributions, it will be a university "by the people, for the people."
The institution will focus on advanced fields such as Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, equipping Kashmir’s youth with globally competitive skills.
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The university’s board comprises a prominent group of academicians, professionals and social leaders, including Dr Mehboob Makhdoomi, Founder and Chairman of the Trust; Dr Mushtaq Marghoob, Trustee and Former Professor and Head of the PG Department of Psychiatry at GMC; Syed Humayun Qaiser, Trustee and Spokesperson, and Former Director of Radio Kashmir; poet and social activist Zareef Ahmad Zareef; Syed Parvez Qalander, Consultant and Chartered Engineer; Latief U Zaman Deva, retired IAS officer and Former Chairperson of JKPSC; Khair Ul Nisa Sheikh, Principal Advisor to the Chairman and Executive Director of World Trade Center, India; Mushtaaque Ali Ahmad Khan, Media Coordinator, TV Producer, and Filmmaker; Riyaz Ahmad Shoga, Accounts Officer, Former Banker, and Social Worker; G N Var, President of the Private School Association; and Faheem Abdullah, an artist.
The project leaders have said the project will not be profit-driven but a community-led initiative dedicated to education, research, and social empowerment.
Jammu and Kashmir’s 11 government universities currently serve around 1.5 lakh students, but private sector participation in higher education remains limited. As a result, thousands of students leave the Union Territory each year for higher studies elsewhere.
