Why technical education deserves recognition by the Forest Department

By: Tanveer Farooq

(2nd year student B.Sc Forestry SKUAST-Kashmir)

There comes a point in a student’s journey when an important question becomes impossible to ignore: If we spend four years pursuing a specialized professional degree, what should that education lead to?

We, the students of Forestry, raise this question not to diminish any other discipline, but to seek appropriate recognition for the education we have chosen and worked for.

Forestry is not simply the study of trees. A four-year B.Sc. Forestry programme provides systematic academic and practical education in areas including silviculture, forest management, forest protection, wildlife and biodiversity conservation, forest mensuration, forest soils, surveying, wood science, regeneration, plantation management, agroforestry and natural resource management. This broad training prepares graduates for the scientific understanding and management of forests and natural resources.

Our concern arises when recruitment opportunities do not clearly reflect this specialized education. We recognize that candidates from other disciplines may be suitable for certain forest-related positions. However, where a post involves specialized forestry responsibilities, the relevance of professional forestry education should be appropriately recognized.

A short-term training programme can provide valuable practical exposure, but it is not equivalent to four years of systematic academic and practical education. The distinction becomes important when recruitment criteria are framed for positions requiring specialized knowledge.

The recruitment framework has also differed among forestry posts over time. For example, the 2018 JKPSC addendum for Range Officer Grade-I specifically prescribed B.Sc. Forestry or its equivalent, while other forest-related posts have had different eligibility requirements. This highlights the need for clear and appropriate criteria based on the responsibilities of each position.

Students pursuing Forestry deserve clarity about the professional opportunities available to them after graduation. Our concerns have already been communicated to the concerned authorities through representations and memorandums, with students continuing to follow up through appropriate channels.

We are not asking for an unearned advantage. We are asking for a fair and transparent recruitment framework that recognizes relevant specialized education.

When students spend four years preparing for a profession dedicated to forests and natural resources, that education deserves a meaningful place in the professional system responsible for managing and protecting them.

A voice that refuses to fade.

We entered these classrooms with dreams,

And spent four years learning the language of forests.

We carried our books into the field,

And our hopes into the future.

We learned from the soil, the trees, the wildlife,

From ecosystems, seasons, fires and regeneration.

Now we ask only one question:

Will the system recognise what we have learned?

We are not asking to silence another voice,

We are asking that our own be heard.

Not for privilege without merit,

But for recognition of specialised knowledge.

Let our four years mean something.

Let our education have a place.

Let Forestry graduates be recognised where Forestry expertise isrequired.

Because forests need trained professionals

and professional education deserves professional recognition.