I disagree with most of what is being said about Kashmir University

By Afshan Qadir Dhar

This is not a cynical rant from someone who wasn’t able to do her M.Phil and PhD at Kashmir University. I want to write all this today because honesty demands so.

The University of Kashmir recently celebrated its A++ grade in the NAAC re-accreditation cycle of 2025. The Vice Chancellor made a bold claim: “KU can now compete with any global university.” As someone who earned a Master’s degree from Kashmir University and later pursued an MPhil from a university in Europe, I feel compelled to respond.

With full sense of responsibility and respect for some exceptional teachers at KU, I can say this: Kashmir University is nowhere close to international standards. Yes, there are islands of excellence. But the system as a whole is broken — academically, administratively and culturally.

Let’s be honest. KU functions like a government office of the 1990s. Getting a degree certificate or transcript can take months, even years. Students are routinely treated with indifference. Would anyone dispute that its administrative culture is opaque, sluggish and even patronising?

Let us first talk about academics and research. Barring a few bright exceptions, hardly any departments produce quality, peer-reviewed research in reputable global journals like Scopus or Web of Science in Kashmir University. Most PhDs are mediocre. A significant number of supervisors cannot write a solid essay themselves. Those students who are academically good and are able to navigate the intrinsic challenges of the university’s culture go places and succeed. Few are lucky to be supervised by teachers and professors who have intelligence, competence and integrity.

Many Kashmir University teachers have never seen a university outside South Asia. International exposure is rare. The hiring process often prioritizes connections over competence. That nepotism often trumps merit is no secret.

The syllabi in many departments are outdated and overly theoretical. Critical thinking, problem-solving and creativity are sacrificed at the altar of rote learning. Imaginem, even in this 21st century!

Student and faculty exchange programs with top universities are almost non-existent. The few MoUs that do exist rarely translate into meaningful academic partnerships.

Many departments operate with old or broken lab equipment. Libraries are understocked and digitally backward. Students lack access to global academic databases.

KU’s online systems, from admissions to exam results, are riddled with inefficiencies. There is no real learning management system. No digital culture. Everything takes forever.

While KU celebrates NAAC’s A++ rating, it remains invisible in QS, Times Higher Education, or Shanghai rankings. These are the benchmarks that matter globally. NAAC is useful, but, let us be mindful, it is not the gold standard.

At Kashmir University, we have often heard from great teachers that the promotion and appointment systems lack transparency. A perception of favouritism haunts the institution. Bright, sincere faculty often feel suffocated and end up leaving or being silenced for good.

Now talk about career counselling, mental health services and international student support. Almost non-existent. Most students are left to navigate a broken system on their own.

There is no real support for student innovation, entrepreneurship, or incubation. Most of the Kashmir University departments are completely disconnected from the private sector and job market realities.

With this compelling situation, let us stop fooling ourselves. An A++ grade from NAAC, while commendable, doesn’t make KU globally competitive. Not until it undergoes deep structural reform:

Moving forward, at Kashmir University, research must be funded and held accountable. Faculty hiring must be transparent and merit-based. The curriculum must be globally benchmarked. Digital transformation must be fast-tracked. Students must be treated as valued stakeholders, and with dignity. Its administrative staff need training on student dignity, empathy and courtesy.

Kashmir University’s islands of excellence, its dedicated professors and talented students, are overshadowed by bureaucratic inertia, outdated systems and a lack of global vision. The Vice Chancellor’s claim of competing with global universities is aspirational but premature. KU has potential, but it must address its deficiencies head-on. Only through rigorous reform can it transform from a regional institution into a global contender. Kashmir University has talented people. But talent alone doesn’t build world-class universities. Systems do. Cultures do.

The views expressed in this article are of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the editorial  views of Ziraat Times.