Indian Army on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kashmir University that will allow soldiers serving in the valley to study various courses through distance learning.
The MoU was signed between GoC 15 Corps Lt Gen D P Pandey and University of Kashmir vice chancellor Prof Talat Ahmed at Gandhi Hall in Kashmir University.
As per the MoU, the soldiers of Indian Army posted in Kashmir, will be able to seek admission to various courses being offered by the Directorate of Distance Education, University of Kashmir.
The type of courses being made available to Army personnel range from six-month Certificate Courses to one-year Diploma Courses and two-year Post Graduate Courses.
A total of 18 courses are presently available for enrolment by the Army personnel, which will be increased later on.
The courses featuring in the MoU include MA/ MSc (Maths), MA (English), MA (Urdu), MA (Education) under 2 year courses and PG Diploma (Computer Applications), PG Dip (Web designing), PG Dip (Cyber Law), PG Dip (Tourism Management) etc in the Diploma category.
After the formal signing of the MoU, Vice Chancellor Prof Talat Ahmad emphasized on the varsity's core values and mentioned the significance of the long-term MoU which will benefit the soldiers posted in Kashmir.
The General Officer Commanding of Army Srinagar based 15 corps, Lieutenant General DP Pandey in his address, praised the milestone achieved in the field of education, which will empower the soldiers of the Chinar Corps in performing their duties in a challenging environment.
He said education is the foundation of development of mankind and is the most powerful tool for nation building.
He mentioned that the University of Kashmir, with its rich heritage, culture and academia, will provide a one of the kind opportunity for army personnel and civil defence employees of Chinar Corps to pursue higher educational qualifications, domain specialization and subject matter expertise.
The GOC also emphasized that the association of Chinar Corps with Kashmir University will also further cement bonds of the Indian Army with people of Kashmir nurtured over the last 75 years.