Universities in Jammu and Kashmir have six months to roll out the Design Your Degree (DYD) programme, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha directed on 4 November 2026 while chairing a meeting of the Jammu Kashmir Higher Education Council (JKHEC) at Lok Bhavan, Jammu. The council also discussed how to set up a task force to bring artificial intelligence (AI), including machine learning and deep learning, and data science into undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, Greater Kashmir reported.
The push follows campus-level moves in the Union Territory, such as Cluster University of Srinagar’s new AI and data science programme, and puts a firm deadline on curriculum reform across the region’s universities.
What the Higher Education Council decided
The meeting, attended by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Education Minister Shamim Firdous, set out a roadmap built around the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The main points on the agenda were:
- A six-month deadline for universities to implement the Design Your Degree programme
- Recasting UG and PG programmes in line with DYD and NEP 2020
- Sharing academic credits, research laboratories and other resources between institutions
- Modalities for a task force to integrate AI and data science into UG and PG courses
- A review of engineering kitchens, entrepreneurship programmes and the fund allocation mechanism
“Transforming higher education in J&K into a comprehensive, holistic, and visionary system is a shared responsibility,” LG Sinha said, adding that council initiatives must now become “tangible achievements”. He also asked that new programmes include local languages and cultures.
Why credit sharing and AI matter
Credit sharing lets students take courses across institutions and carry the credits with them, an idea that national systems such as APAAR and the Academic Bank of Credits are built to support. Prof Dinesh Singh, Vice Chairman of JKHEC, called for policy directives to align UG and PG curricula with the DYD framework.
Leaders from the University of Jammu, University of Kashmir, IUST, SMVDU, both Central Universities, IIT Jammu, IIM Jammu and NIT Srinagar took part. The six-month timeline is ambitious: elsewhere, NEP transitions have hit snags, such as Delhi University’s first four-year batch struggling to find one-year master’s seats. A dedicated AI task force would also bring J&K in step with states pushing AI skills at scale, as seen in Telangana’s AI and cloud skilling drive.
Key takeaways
- J&K universities must roll out Design Your Degree within six months
- A task force on AI and data science in UG and PG courses is being planned
- Institutions are asked to share credits, labs and resources
FAQ
What is the deadline for Design Your Degree in J&K?
LG Manoj Sinha set a six-month deadline, from 4 November 2026, for universities in Jammu and Kashmir to roll out the programme.
Will AI be added to university courses in J&K?
The Higher Education Council discussed setting up a task force to integrate AI, machine learning, deep learning and data science into UG and PG programmes.
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