The year 2004 proved to be an eventful year for the Kashmir university with university getting an insider as the vice chancellor, the extension of university campus to the north and south Kashmir, major constructions and other developmental activities in the university.
In order to bring higher education to the door steps of the students in north and south Kashmir, government and the university authorities decided to establish two separate campus in the northern district of Baramulla and the southern district of Anantnag.
Foundation stone of the northern campus at Delina Baramulla was laid recently and the construction work has started for the campus.
According to the university authorities this will reduce the pressure of students to the university a great deal and the students of the far-flung areas will get encouraged to opt for PG courses.
The appointment of Professor Abdul Wahid as the vice chancellor of the university is regarded as the most happening decision in year 2004 for the university by the teachers and the non-teaching staff.
They believe that university was in dire need of an insider as its head for being well versed with the scheme of things in and around the campus.
The visit of Pakistan journalists to the campus, the visit of European Union (EU) delegation and the interactive sessions held by the students with Professor Yash Pal former chairman University Grants Commission (UGC) were the pick of the year 2004.
The Pakistani journalists saw the university students seething with anger and resorting to fierce sloganeering in favour of independent Kashmir.
The students wanted tete a tete with the Pakistani journalists and were ultimately allowed when the university authorities felt the demand was unavoidable.
The EU delegation held meetings with the students and teachers and discussed many issues like economic conditions in the valley, mental disturbances among the people and other issues related with the Kashmiri society.
The year gone-by also saw the North-zone football tournament organized in the university after a gap of 14 years.
22 teams of different universities from northern parts of the country participated in the tournament.
Shakhul Aalum chair continued to remain headless for unknown reasons.
The differences between the two factions of KUTA also worsened during the year with the two factions filing petitions against each other in the court.
The matter is sub-judice in the court.
The KUTA is almost a three-decade-old association of teachers in the university for which office bearers including the president are elected after every two years.
However year 2004 saw the split in the association "over the issue of extending support to or no support to the outgoing VC Professor Jalees Ahmad Khan Tareen whose term came to an end in June.
Ironically the differences among the two factions continue despite the appointment of new VC.
In 2004 a large number of students got enrolled for M Phil and Ph.
D courses due to the relaxation in the rules governing the admission in these two courses.
The teaching fraternity noted this influx of students with resentment saying this is going to influence the quality of research.
However, the new VC contemplates to hold a review in these rules to ensure quality research.
Earlier the students were supposed to sit for an entrance for these courses, but the relaxation in the rules allows the students to opt for these programmes on the basis of percentage with 55 percent as the minimum requirement.
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