Srinagar, May 10 -- In every society, education is celebrated as the path to dignity, progress and nation-building. Governments repeatedly urge young people to pursue higher studies, qualify competitive examinations and contribute intellectually to society. Yet, in Jammu & Kashmir, a painful contradiction continues to haunt thousands of highly qualified youth serving in colleges under the Higher Education Department on an academic arrangement basis.

For more than a decade, these lecturers have carried the burden of higher education in colleges across the region. They teach undergraduate students, manage academic responsibilities, conduct examinations, assist in administrative work and sustain the functioning of institutions that would ot...