Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo directs digitization of BOPEE admissions to ensure transparent, seamless student processes across J&K

• Directs development of e-counselling module within 15 days

SRINAGAR: 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). During the meeting, the Chief Secretary directed the National Informatics Centre (NIC), J&K, to develop a comprehensive module for online counselling and admissions for BOPEE within the next 15 days, aimed at ensuring a seamless and transparent admission process for students across the Union Territory.

The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary, Higher Education Department; Commissioner Secretary, GAD, Commissioner Secretary, ARI & Trainings, Secretary, Revenue, Secretary, School Education; Secretary, Law; Chairperson, J&K BOPEE; Secretary, Technical Education; and other senior officers concerned. While taking a detailed appraisal of the ongoing admission and examination processes, the Chief Secretary emphasized the need to make all academic and admission activities strictly time-bound and schedule-driven. He called for advance notification of examination and counselling calendars and their strict adherence under all circumstances.

The Chief Secretary also directed that every effort be made to ensure that no seat remains vacant in professional and technical courses offered across government and private institutions. He asked the concerned officers to conduct a course-wise assessment of available and filled seats and take immediate corrective measures where vacancies persist.

He further instructed the concerned departments to redesign and restructure courses with consistently low student uptake, observing that infrastructure and manpower created in both government and private institutions should not remain underutilized due to lack of enrolment. The Chief Secretary also directed BOPEE to upgrade seats of candidates in line with merit, particularly in those courses where intake capacity has been recently enhanced.

Chairperson, J&K BOPEE, Prof. Minu Mahajan, informed the meeting that the Board had this year introduced online counselling and admission processes for the convenience of students. She further stated that examination centres have been established even at the sub-divisional level instead of being confined to capital cities, thereby improving accessibility for rural candidates.

Prof. Mahajan also presented detailed course-wise data of filled and vacant seats in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, including MBBS, MDS, MD Ayurveda, M.Sc Nursing, M.Sc Technology, BDS, B.Sc Nursing, Post Basic Nursing, B.Tech, B.E, BAMS, BUMS, B.Pharmacy, B.Sc Paramedical, B.Ed, and various diploma courses. Regarding the functioning of the Board of Technical Education (BoTE), Secretary, BoTE, Suket Gupta, apprised the meeting that the Board manages admissions, examinations, certifications, and migrations for technical institutions including Government and Private Polytechnics and ITIs across J&K.

He informed that 3,535 seats are available across 21 courses offered by Government Polytechnics, while 3,989 candidates appeared from ITIs this year with a pass percentage of 86% in SCVT courses. The overall pass percentage for Polytechnic courses stood at 90% in 2025, with around 20,000 students appearing in examinations conducted annually by the Board.

It was further informed that all services of the J&K Board of Technical Education have now been fully digitized and integrated with national platforms such as UMANG and e-UNNAT, ensuring ease of access and transparency in service delivery. The Chief Secretary appreciated the efforts made by both BOPEE and BoTE in improving transparency, efficiency, and outreach of their processes, while reiterating the Government’s commitment to leveraging technology to enhance student experience and optimize institutional resources across Jammu and Kashmir.