Senior Academician Brings Over Three Decades of Experience in Higher Education Reforms, Digital Governance and Institutional Development
Awantipora, May 17: Senior academician and Director Colleges J&K, Prof. Sheikh Ajaz Bashir, has assumed charge as Dean Academic Affairs at the Islamic University of Science and Technology after being recently deputed to the university as Professor in Electronics and Communication Engineering.
Prof. Ajaz Bashir is a distinguished academician with more than three-and-a-half decades of service in the Higher Education Department and is widely recognised for his contribution to academic administration, policy formulation and institutional development across Jammu and Kashmir.
He has held several important academic and administrative positions in the Union Territory and has been part of multiple high-level committees, including the Higher Education Council, focusing on faculty development, digital reforms, institutional growth and implementation of national educational initiatives.
Serving as Director Colleges since 2023, Prof. Ajaz has played a significant role in strengthening digital governance in higher education through initiatives such as the data-driven policy planning and development system SIGMA, SCALE, and automated credit-based contractual faculty engagement systems.
Throughout his career, he has remained associated with various reforms aimed at improving academic standards, strengthening institutional frameworks and promoting innovation and excellence within the higher education sector.
A PhD in Electronics, Prof. Ajaz served as faculty member and Head of the Department of Electronics at several institutions including Government S.P. College Srinagar, Government Degree College Bemina and Government Degree College Baramulla before being appointed Principal in 2016.
He later served as Principal of multiple Government Degree Colleges and headed the prestigious Islamia College of Science and Commerce from 2019 to 2023.
During his tenure at Islamia College, several academic excellence initiatives were launched, including introduction of various undergraduate, integrated and postgraduate programmes in Nano Sciences, Zoology, Botany and Chemistry under Academic Leap 2020.
He also introduced the Learning Management System (LMS) and examination reforms with continuous assessment mechanisms. Under his leadership, Islamia College became the first institution in Jammu and Kashmir to implement the National Education Policy (NEP).
Later, while serving as Principal of Amar Singh College along with additional charge as Nodal Principal for Kashmir Division Colleges, he initiated major infrastructural reforms at the institution.
At present, besides assuming charge at IUST, Prof. Ajaz Bashir continues to hold the charge of Director Colleges and is spearheading a centralised admission process at the Directorate level aimed at making admissions more student-friendly and increasing enrolment across degree colleges in Jammu and Kashmir.
