PDP leader visits SKUAST-K Faculty of Forestry in Ganderbal; students seek recognition of specialised degree in Forest Department recruitment
Touseef Wani
GANDERBAL, October 21: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti on Wednesday visited the Faculty of Forestry at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Benhama, Ganderbal, and met students who have been protesting against the proposed recruitment rules for the post of Forester in the Jammu and Kashmir Forest Department.
Mufti interacted with the protesting students and heard their concerns regarding the proposed eligibility criteria, which the students say fail to adequately recognise their specialised academic qualification in Forestry.
The students apprised the PDP leader of their demand for a review of the recruitment framework, particularly seeking exclusive eligibility for Forestry graduates for the post of Forester and appropriate recognition of their professional qualification in forestry-related recruitment.
They maintained that students pursuing specialised Forestry programmes undergo extensive academic and professional training in areas including forest management, silviculture, wildlife, ecology and related disciplines, and therefore sought recruitment provisions aligned with the specialised nature of the post.
The students have been holding a sustained peaceful agitation over the issue, seeking intervention from the government and concerned authorities. Reports have also indicated disruption of academic activities at the Faculty of Forestry amid the ongoing protest.
During the interaction, Mufti expressed support for the students’ concerns and urged the authorities to engage with them and reconsider the proposed recruitment provisions.
She called for the concerns of professionally trained Forestry graduates to be examined while finalising the recruitment framework, saying the matter should be addressed through dialogue and a review of the eligibility criteria.
The students, meanwhile, reiterated that they would continue their peaceful protest until their concerns regarding the recruitment policy are addressed.
The ongoing agitation has brought renewed attention to the eligibility framework for specialised posts in the Forest Department and the question of how professional Forestry qualifications should be recognised in government recruitment.
