The Communications

Directorate of Distance Education

University of Kashmir

ISSN: 0975-6558

Multicultural classroom has both benefits and challenges for children, particularly for tribal children. For teacher to deal with this, adequate training is required. Students from different cultural, economic and social environments, come to classroom. It is obvious that children face different problems as well as learn so many things in classroom with diversity. Tribal children also in the same way, face difficulties in classroom. But when the teacher at school, parents at school and neighbors in society start neglecting these tribal students, they create a silence world in classroom and also outside the classroom. It affects the education in classroom and in this connection, this paper presents that how tribal children isolate themselves from the normal life at school. When communications fail, a world of silence begins. Apart from this, this paper tries to come to some consensus for these tribal children for better education at the foundation level related to both sociological and psychological researches.

The intersection of socio-cultural and economic matrix creates a complex consortium of students in public universities. While the point of access has challenges of its own, not all those who enter the system have equal opportunity to learn and proceed to finish. However the public institutions will continue to hold a place of high esteem in people’s imaginary of higher education while regularly reaching out to newer social fringes, consistently touching lives of many through possibility of access. The process of inclusion is continually discussed as intrusion into privileged spaces. Hence merely the idea of ability nurturing may be threatening for those who manoeuvre to maintain the position of dominance by creating certain impenetrable systems. The primary focus of this paper is to share observations about the possibilities of creating democratic teachinglearning spaces at higher education. The paper does not attempt to generalize but raise concerns, which surround higher education, from the viewpoint of a range of stakeholders. The observations on comparison among private and public universities argue that since the purpose of both types of universities is conclusively incomparable, it is irrational to argue one against the other. It proposes that the institutional ethos at places of higher education has be redefined through the undisguised lens of acknowledging inherent discrimination and thus leading towards the process of democratizing teaching-learning spaces while negotiating the belief systems of all the participants to create a culture of mutual respect and harmony.

Today the whole world is facing the all-time biggest problem of environmental crises. Though man has made his life very comfortable and luxurious but it is all at the cost of life supporting pure environment. Mother earth which the only life supporting planet in the universe is now at the verge of extinction, not because it makes the capacity to hold fresh life but because of the misuse and adulteration of life supporting organs. At present we are in the rat race of materialism and in the pursuit of worldly wealth we are destroying the ecological balance of nature, Kashmir which is considered the most beautiful part of the world owing to the pure waters, lush green forests and pure and clean mountains and valleys but now the scenario is different. This paper will highlight the teachings of great Sufi Sheikh Noor–ud-din Wali (R A) which he propagated throughout his life for the conservation of the nature.

Institutions irrespective of their nature, size, ownership and control are facing intense competition and continuous challenges due to dynamic nature of world economy. The 21st century demands institutions to transform and act smartly and contribute towards nation development. Educational institutions in this context are far more crucial as their relevance and impact on society is more as compared to institutions of any other background. Higher educational institutions (HEI) are considered as an important pillar for economic progress and play a critical role in enhancing and sustaining growth in a country. But presently, HEIs are facing daunting task in ensuring their credibility and effectiveness as they are forced to strive hard in matching global academic standards. The success and failure of an educational institution lies in how they are able to develop their strengths and explore its opportunities at the face of their internal weaknesses and global threats. Higher educational institutions must focus on creating an institution of excellence which is possible only if they adopt and bring qualitative changes in their curriculum and therefore must redefine and re-design their existing policies and strategies. It calls for i) providing sound quality of teaching and research in the institutions ii) promoting healthy academic culture iii) developing academic-industry linkages iv) creating employment avenues for young students and scholars v) fostering academic autonomy and vi) ensuring fair performance appraisal system. Keeping the above in view, the present study is aimed to examine the perception of faculty members towards institution building practices prevailing in select higher educational institutions in J&K and to compare institution building practices across sample select institutions. Lastly, the study would suggest measures and would give policy implications for improving the institution building practices in select higher educational institutions.

The people in the border areas of Meghalaya have been experiencing great difficulty to give proper education of their children. On account of economic hardship; many students from Border Areas have given up their studies after the lower primary stage on account of their parents economic difficulties. Considering Education as a means of for developing the economic growth of the nation it at the same time the way of life of the people, it is therefore it is important to improve the educational system in these areas so as enhance the life of the people. The baseline survey report of the government on 10 border area blocks with 1523 villages revealed a very grim situation of the education in the area. The lack of education in these areas is a matter of great concern not only to the state but the country as a whole as these areas are in direct trade and commerce with the bordering country. Hence there is a need for open learning in these areas.

Present paper is a perspective paper which is the outcome of the discomfort of over using scientific methods to understand and explore phenomenon in social sciences. Paper argues how logicality, cause-effect relationship and scientific approach have created a kind of impasse among nature of social science, problems of social science and methods and tools adopted to deal with these problems. This impasse seems to be un-resolvable because innovation taking place in social sciences are still hegemonized by science, where subjectivity, sentiments, emotions are rejected. These left outs of science are „residues‟ and are the basis of understanding the nature of social science and its problems. Socio-biological and Radical perspective have been used to elaborate upon the raised quarries. Largely the idea of this article is to debunk the assumptions which are generated by science for social sciences and social theories.

It is an established fact that conflict of Kashmir has given rise to different kind’s turpitudes and has touched the lives of all people in one or other way. However, the conflict has affected women folk so severely that apart from widows a new vulnerable group of women has emerged known as half widows. In this backdrop, the present study is an account to highlight various psychological problems among half widows of Kashmir. The sample of the study consisted of 120 half widows belonging to district Srinagar and Baramulla. For the purpose of gathering the information from respondents Mental Health Inventory of Davies, Sherbourne, Peterson, & Ware (1988) was used. The scale consists of 38 items which are further divided into six dimensions namely, Anxiety, Depression, Loss of Behavioral and Emotional Control, General Positive Affect, Emotional Ties and Life Satisfaction. Moreover, the scale was translated into Urdu language keeping in view the educational background of the respondents. The data collected from respondents was subjected to statistical analysis and revealed that majority of the respondents scored higher in anxiety, depression, and loss of behavioral and scored lower in emotional ties, life satisfaction and positive affect. The highlights an important fact that an empathic approach is needed to deal with this population so that they can be rehabilitated and mainstreamed. It is thus very imperative that for the effective wellbeing of the widows, they need to be properly handled by family members, friends and the society at large.

Education according to Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a basic human right. Education plays a crucial role in socialization of a person through transmission of norms and values. Gender by definition is not restricted to girls alone as boys are also recipients of gendered constructions. Gender inequalities also affect the structure and management of education system, the practices and attitudes of teachers, learning material and the content of the curriculum. Interventions in the education sector cannot solve the problems of gender inequality in society, yet education can have a major impact on the lives of girls and women. The governance and the issues related to the mechanism of justice and to create a balance has remained a subject of all studies pertaining to the gender education. On the basis of these studies, gaps are being filled, but still much needs to be done. As a matter of state policy and social justice a mandate to abolish the indifferences are already in place but participatory approach to yield desired results in these areas is vital in a male dominated society. Although the target on gender equality in education as per the Millennium Development Goals have not been achieved in full. But a lot is being done globally to address the disparities of gender in education. This paper provides an account of the gender in education at a global level with an emphases on what has been achieved and what are the challenges that hampers the desired progress.

In this paper, an attempt has been made to study the contributions of distance education for tribal people of Kargil district. The sample of this study comprises of 180 distance learners of those Universities whose study centers are functional at Kargil. For the present study, self-designed questionnaire and other suitable tools were employed. The study revealed that only the study centers of Kashmir University, IGNOU and MANUU are operational in this remote tribal area. It is found that at present, (34) programmes of IGNOU, (08) programmes of MANUU and (02) programmes of Kashmir University are available at their Kargil study centers. It is also found that IGNOU is providing better facilities/support services to the learners than the other two. But Kashmir University and MANUU are also trying to do their best to uplift the educational status of this tribal district. Other Universities also need to establish their study centers at Kargil to promote the culture of ‘Learning while Earning’ among tribal peoples

Unemployment is highly visible temporary problem, while underemployment is less visible and even can be permanent. Unemployment is an increasing phenomenon in Kashmir. With the increase in unemployment the problem of underemployment in the form of contractualism in the education sector emerged. Underemployment is a global stressor and in the valley of Kashmir, underemployed youth particularly contractuals feel frustrated to cope up with the needs. The duration of underemployment increases its effects on workers and their families. Although the human misery caused by underemployment is less visible it can have wide ranging and long-lasting consequences for every family member. Contractual—whose nature of work is non-permanent even faces lot of problems in his personal life, whether economically and socially. The present paper entitled ‘‘Socio-economic issues of contractual lecturers of Kashmir’’ is an attempt to explore the problems faced by the contractual section of our society in the higher education department and bring the same to the forefront. It presents the real picture of the contractual lecturers who not only face problems on the economic front but also bear the social implications of the same.

Information and Communication technology (ICT) forms a back bone of the present information driven era. Internet by means of latest IT technologies has modified the traditional means of information dissemination, as it is due to this blessing of Science that information is available at finger tips and accessible to everyone anytime free from any barrier .Open Access has added to ease of accessibility of information and made it available taking copyrights into consideration as well. Many initiatives of Open Access like Directory of Open Access Repository (DOAR), Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB), Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and Open Educational Resources (OER) has made open access successful and propagated best retrieval and dissemination of information. The OER has gained momentum thus is very helpful in e-learning, distant mode of learning. Various OER initiatives in India have greatly supported distant learning making it possible for students to access information sources at home rather than to visit in person the respective institution .These OERs provide a diversified modes dissemination of information by means of multimedia ( audio, video lectures), thus helping teaching learning an interactive process. The present study reveals the concept of Open Educational Resources (OER) and highlights various government initiatives on promoting open access to educational resources. This paper gives a detailed account of various OER initiatives in India, so that it will be helpful to students at different levels to acquit their diversified needs of information.

The present study was carried to make a comparative study of Scientific Temper of Adolescent boys and girls in Kashmir. Objectives: 1) To study Scientific Temper of male and female adolescents on scientific temper. 2) To study Scientific Temper of Rural and Urban adolescents on Scientific Temper. 3) To compare Scientific Temper of male and female adolescents on scientific temper. 4) To compare Scientific Temper of Rural and Urban adolescents on scientific temper. Hypotheses: 1) Male and Female adolescents will differ on Scientific Temper. 2) Rural and Urban adolescents will differ significantly on Scientific Temper. Sample: The sample for the present study consist of 240 students 120 rural (60 male and 60 female) urban students (60 male 60 female) of 11th and 12th classes selected randomly from eight Government higher secondary schools of District Anantnag and Srinagar. Procedure: The investigator visited 8 identified Government Higher Secondary Schools of District Anantnag and Srinagar. Random sampling technique was used to collect the data. Tool: The tool for the present study included Showkat’s Scientific Scale (SSTS), which assesses Scientific Temper on Five dimensions. The data collected was subjected to various statistical techniques like mean, S.D. and t-test. Findings: 1) A Significant difference was found between male and female adolescent’s on Curiosity, open mindedness, objectivity and aversion to Superstition and no significant difference was found between two groups on rationality. 2) A Significant difference was found between rural and urban adolescent’s on Curiosity, open mindedness, objectivity and rationality and no significant difference was found between two groups on aversion to superstition.

Al-Ghazali (1058-1111 A.D.) was one of the most influential Muslim thinkers. A jurist, logician, theologian, and philosopher, he was honored in the history of Islam with title of ‘Hujjatul-Islam’ (the Proof of Islam). Among his numerous contributions to the renewal of the intellectual life of the 5th Islamic century, he developed a theory of education rooted in his philosophy and aiming at improving the objectives and principles of education. In order to study the educational philosophy of Al-Ghazali and finding its relevance in the contemporary education system in India, the investigator scrutinized the primary and secondary data related to Al-Ghazali and also underwent through various draft reports and commissions in order to find its relevance in contemporary India. Thus philosophical and historical research methods were employed in order to conduct the study. The findings of the study revealed that for Al-Ghazali the purpose of society is to apply sharia, and the goal of man is to achieve happiness close to God. The modern class structure has ignored the fundamental aspiration of man to realize his best self. Man’s faith is destroyed; he is deprived of his dignity as a moral being and is controlled chiefly by material forces. This is much against the cherished ideals of the Indian democratic system and therefore, every effort should be made to reawaken and reinculcate the true sense of self in the people. The educational thought of Al-Ghazali is very significant today because modern education has lost much of its connection with the values of human life. He emphasized the need for a complete re-orientation of human values to fight against hedonism and commercial fetishes. Any educational system that is sound must be relevant to the existing needs of the people.

This paper aims to analyze and examine the role the government policies play in the development of entrepreneurship and its impact on economic development. The study builds on existing literature on entrepreneurship, economic development and government policy as it relates to entrepreneurial practices. For the reason that entrepreneurship is a part of economic development strategy employed by several countries globally to achieve macro-economic benefits. The framework provides a starting point for researchers and practitioners to further examine entrepreneurship policies and practices. For researchers, the framework clarifies the determining attributes of entrepreneurship, government policy and economic development dimensions and their proposed relationships. For practitioners, the framework can be used to gain an understanding of the role of government policy on entrepreneurship development as well as economic development.

In this paper an attempt has been made to understand the relationship between study habits and motivation among class Students. The sample had been collected from Jammu area. Results reveal that there exists no significant difference in the level of study habits of boys and girls of class X and there exists no significant difference in motivation of boys and girls of class X.

The universe is believed by some great astronomers to have begun with a “Big bang,” a terrific explosion some 15 billion years ago. Surprisingly religious and languages have almost always had miraculously “Big bang” to start with without any previous history, leaving the world to thinkers and scholars to wonder as to how such phenomenon could appear suddenly and instantaneously. Unable to understand as to how could nations and languages, all of a sudden throw up great souls, saints, poets and writers with such a momentum that, to whatever distance their thrust reached, smaller insignificant particles were charged to appear as brilliant stars.

The aim of this paper is to reveal the role of literature in film industry. The adaptation of English literature in Hindi cinema can change its shape altogether. The movie like “john carter” is full of ironical devices. The movie “transformers 1, 2, and 3” is science fiction that led us to perspire. However, Indian cinema is still in the era of “Prem Ratan Dhan Payo” where all the characters are characterless. Bollywood directors are not capable of bringing a masterpiece even by used a beautiful, incredible, astonishing, civilization, i.e. Harappa. The Mohenjo-Daro, by Aushotosh Guawarikar is just a distortion of history and the dishonor of art. It lacks all the devices that a piece of art requires and in turn, it lacks the coherence and rhythm with the actual history and happenings. Therefore, the Bollywood is in need of those writers and directors who are equipped with the knowledge of literature and who can help Bollywood to escape from mythological to scientific era.

The present article is a reaction to non-indigenous understanding the role of Madrasa education. After 9/11 attack theoretically/ academically non-indigenous question the relevance of traditional Madrasa and its curricula by portraying “Madrasa as a hub of Terrorism.” Therefore this present article tries to clear up the rumors against politically charged ideology by reexamining the role of Madrasa education in the Ontologically insecure world.

Inclusive education is a process of strengthening the capacity of the education system to reach out all learners. It involves restructuring the culture, policies and practices in schools so that they can respond to the diversity of students in concerned region. It is one of the most effective ways by which we can promote an inclusive and tolerant society. Inclusive education is a strategy of making education universalized irrespective of any disability within the learner and to maintain equity in the society. It accentuates that children with special needs can be included in holistic platform without any kind of isolation. Avoiding the option of segregation and making them confined within the boundaries of special schools, experts of inclusive education are advocating an inclusion of children with special needs in to the common schools. We only then can claim the provision of equal opportunity particularly in education. However, for achieving success in inclusive education in India we are facing several obstacles and challenges. Many problems such as, lack of positive attitude among teachers, non-inclusive curriculum, lack of resources, infrastructural problems, unawareness among parents, irregular plans, improper execution of policies are creating hurdles for extending the concept of inclusive education in India. In paper an attempt has been made to put focus on issues, challenges, and prospects regarding inclusive education.

Man has been endowed with many unique abilities among which thinking ability, creativity and intelligence are prominent. The discourse on intelligentsia is as old as mankind. The human intelligence has always remained a controversial debate among philosophers, psychologists, educationists and scientists. In this paper, an attempt has been made to understand the human intelligence in context of latest technologies and advancements in the area of genetic field