In 21st century, Kashmir is still without a Government Engineering College! Earlier, when I was a polytechnic student of Kashmir Government College, Mr. R.S. Chib, the then Minister for Technical Education, kept on repeating, in many seminars and symposia's that government was scheduled to upgrade Government Polytechnic College Gogji Bagh very soon. The statement was seen fundamentally essential by the students of our college and the potential students across the valley. We believed that the development could have changed many a fortunes here and could have also provided a great opportunity for the students. But the promise was confined to words alone and no action, on the ground, was taken in this direction. Government Engineering College in the valley was a distant dream and the concerned authorities were mulling over trivial issues. The proposal to upgrade KGP failed to take off and it is a matter of concern that in the 21st century our valley, Kashmir, is without Government Engineering College. This is a stark naked reality that we are deeply backward when it comes to academics and development of necessary infrastructure to boost the opportunities for young students.

            As of 2011, there were 1522 degree-granting engineering colleges in India with an annual student intake capacity of more than 582,000. 1,244 polytechnics with an annual intake of 265,000 were also set up in the country. Among these, there were just two government polytechnic colleges Kashmir, but none of the Government Degree-Granting Colleges. We were expecting that Kashmir Government Polytechnic College will be upgraded into a Government Engineering Degree College but it remained a dream.

            Earlier we had Regional Engineering College in Kashmir, but the college was later on upgraded to NIT and only a few students of Kashmir make it to NIT after competing in AIEEE since the number of seats is very less compared to the number of appearing candidates which is growing every passing day. Moreover, the students who qualify their diplomas from polytechnic colleges have no option to enter into the NIT and , as such, feel frustrated since they help the situation! It is a question which haunts many including me and the students of Kashmir Government Polytechnic every time when we think about this matter. If they join private degree college outside the state, it becomes difficult and challenging as huge amount of money is required to do so.

            What has been seen and observed is that the polytechnic-qualified students who join various degree courses outside the state are bound to be mislead and often results in quandary for them as, in most of the cases, the degrees are either unrecognized or of distance stature or the quality of education provided in private colleges outside is not satisfactory. Sometimes, it becomes like impossible to find a college providing degree in branches like Automobile Engineering and Leather technology etc. outside J&K. Now if the students pursue degree through AMIE distance mode, it is very difficult to accomplish the course within the actual duration of two or three years, and if they halt their studies at diploma level and prefer private jobs, they are only eligible as Junior Engineers. In recent recruitment examination of Junior Engineers by JKSSB, degree holders were provided additional points, and the question paper standard was at par with degree level. Here it again becomes difficult for diploma holders to compete with degree holders. Moreover, in polytechnics or in AMIE the percentage of marks obtained by the students is much lesser than the NIT students. In nutshell, a polytechnic diploma holder suffers in Kashmir Valley as most of the Engineering Colleges including NITs and GECs offer four year degree programme since there is no lateral entry system in these colleges for them.

            The government of Jammu and Kashmir is making oft-repeating claims of providing Technical Education to the youth in the wake of rising graph of unemployment in the state. But has it ever spent a while in thinking about the career of these polytechnic students? There is not even a single government Engineering College in Kashmir and the students of different branches of Polytechnic Colleges are suffering in the absence of a choice for them to pursue degree after diploma within the valley. There are newly 8 government polytechnics, established recently in the Kashmir Valley, which again increases the number of students holding diplomas; and ultimately and obviously unemployment. Although, it has been announced that a Government College for Engineering will be established in the valley, but it will take a long time and it is not certain that the option of lateral entry will be made available for the diploma students in this college. Moreove, a single engineering college cannot fulfil the demand of the rising number of diploma students from newly established polytechnics. There was a choice of lateral entry when we had a regional engineering college. But after it was upgraded, the options have also been seized permanently. Now the students of the rural areas of Kashmir suffer as they are left with the only option of pursuing further education outside the state. Financial hiccups mar a great number of students who never make it to a good college outside the state. But the fault lies with the government which is, seemingly, blindfolded and cannot judge from its young students.

            Even if the number of seats in the NIT Srinagar has been increased but the diploma holders still suffer since there is no option for lateral entry. There is the need to include the option of lateral entry in each and every government/private degree-granting engineering college in both Jammu Division and Kashmir Division; and the newly existing oldest polytechnic colleges like Kashmir Government Polytechnic Gogjibagh and Government Womens Polytechnic College Bemina must be upgraded to Government Engineering Colleges to shift the Valley from Diploma to degree Level. The State Government, Hon'ble Minister for Technical Education, Directorate of Technical Education, State Board of Technical Education and the stakeholders must think about this matter and make a way out for these suffering polytechnic diploma students.