Srinagar, Mar 23 — The Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) is preparing to shift to online or hybrid classes as an ongoing LPG shortage begins to affect its campuses, officials said.
The university has directed its deans to be ready for a transition to alternative modes of teaching to avoid disruption in academics.
“Keeping in view the issue, we have directed the deans of the university to gear for online classes or hybrid mode of education,” a senior official said.
He described the move as precautionary. “The instruction for online and hybrid modes of education is a precautionary measure. If the situation deteriorates and demands shift to online education, we must be ready for that to avoid the academic losses,” he said.
Officials said both main and satellite campuses are facing the impact of the LPG shortage, particularly as a majority of students depend on hostel or PG accommodation.
“We are preparing a Learning Management System (LMS) for the online and hybrid mode of education because more than 65–70 percent of the students in different campuses of SKUAST-K are either residing in university hostels or in Paying Guests (PGs),” the official said.
In a related step, the university has introduced online registration for the spring semester. “Earlier, the students were supposed to apply for the semester registration in the offline mode. However, due to the LPG crisis we have started online registration so that the students who are currently not in the campuses can apply,” he said.
“If situation demands online education, it requires an online portal; we are working on it,” he added.
On the academic calendar, the official said regular classes are tentatively scheduled to begin next week. “Let’s see what the situation demands. As of now the LPG crisis is growing,” he said.
SKUAST-K has over 6,000 students enrolled across campuses, with around 25 percent from outside Kashmir and over 1,000 from outside Jammu and Kashmir. The university operates 30 hostels, each housing around 100 students on average, while many others stay in PG accommodations.
Meanwhile, officials at the University of Kashmir and Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), Awantipora said no decision has been taken so far regarding a shift to online classes.