Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo today chaired a high-level meeting to review the functioning of the Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (BOPEE) and the Board of Technical Education (BoTE), focusing on enhancing transparency, efficiency, and student accessibility.
The Chief Secretary directed the National Informatics Centre (NIC), J&K, to develop a comprehensive online counselling and admission module for BOPEE within 15 days, ensuring a seamless and transparent admission process across the Union Territory.
The meeting was attended by senior officials including the Additional Chief Secretary, Higher Education; Commissioner Secretaries of GAD and ARI & Trainings; Secretaries of Revenue, School Education, and Law; Chairperson BOPEE; Secretary Technical Education; and other key officers.
Key Directives and Focus Areas
Time-bound academic activities: Chief Secretary Dulloo emphasized strict adherence to examination and counselling schedules, urging advance notification of calendars.
Optimal seat utilization: Officers were instructed to conduct course-wise assessments to ensure no seat remains vacant in professional and technical courses, while redesigning courses with consistently low enrolment.
Merit-based seat upgrades: BOPEE was asked to upgrade candidates’ seats in line with merit, particularly in courses where intake capacity has been recently enhanced.
Prof. Minu Mahajan, Chairperson BOPEE, highlighted measures introduced this year, including:
Online counselling and admission processes for student convenience.
Establishment of examination centres at sub-divisional levels to improve access for rural candidates.
Detailed course-wise data on filled and vacant seats for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes such as MBBS, MDS, MD Ayurveda, M.Sc Nursing, B.Tech, B.E, BAMS, BUMS, B.Pharmacy, B.Ed, and various diploma courses.
3,535 seats are available across 21 Government Polytechnic courses, with 3,989 ITI candidates appearing this year.
Pass percentages stand at 90% for Polytechnic courses and 86% for SCVT ITI courses in 2025.
All BoTE services have been fully digitized and integrated with national platforms like UMANG and e-UNNAT, enhancing access and transparency.
The Chief Secretary appreciated the efforts of both BOPEE and BoTE in improving student experience, transparency, and outreach, while reiterating the Government’s commitment to leveraging technology to optimize institutional resources and ensure equitable access to education across Jammu and Kashmir.