Srinagar: After facing delays, Kashmir University’s Kupwara campus is expected to offer courses in the upcoming academic session.

To begin with, the varsity officials said that initially integrated programmes in Physics and Energy Studies will be offered.

The campus spread over 500 kanals of land is located in Wayan village of Kupwara and construction works were started in 2011.

However, the dearth of physical infrastructure and the required teaching faculty at the campus delayed its functioning.

KU’s coordinator Kupwara campus Prof Parvez Ahmad expected the campus will be made operational by June once electricity and water supply is ensured by the concerned public utilities.

He said that the varsity’s Board of Studies had already ratified the integrated programmes in Physics and Energy Studies at the campus.

According to him, an intake capacity of 25 seats each had been fixed for the two programmes for the inaugural academic session adding that the intake could be scaled up in the future.

Prof Parvez said a separate advertisement notification for filling up the posts on contractual basis would be issued soon till the a permanent faculty is appointed.

The schedule for the entrance test for admissions to the Kupwara campus, too, will be notified separately as per Prof Parvez as the two integrated programmes were not offered at the KU’s main or any other campus.

The varsity had specifically chosen the two integrated programmes in Physics and Energy Studies to make the aspiring students focus in the respective fields and be ready for the job market right after completion of their degrees.

“We also looked around towards other programmes offered by other universities before zeroing in on the two programmes. We could have decided on some more courses, but we also need the required infrastructure for that,” he added.

Prof Parvez informed that two more buildings had been sanctioned by the administration for the Kupwara campus besides the Administrative-cum-academic block and Hostel building, which he said, would be handed over to them by the executing agencies by March.

He added that a separate approach road to the campus will be built for which they were in consultation with the Forest Department.

Registrar KU, Prof Nisar Ahmad Mir, too, hoped that the Kupwara campus will be made functional from the upcoming academic session.

Irshad Khan