Srinagar, May 9 -- There was a time when earning a degree was considered almost a lifetime guarantee of intellectual authority and professional security. A person completed graduation, entered a profession, and carried the same academic knowledge with pride for decades. Society respected the degree, institutions valued the certificate, and employers trusted the qualification. But the world has changed faster than our old assumptions. Today, a degree may remain valid on paper, but the knowledge behind it can become outdated if it is not continuously renewed. This is what may be called the condition of being "academically expired."

The phrase sounds harsh, but it captures a serious reality. A person does not expire academically because of ...