Vice Chancellor Kashmir University, Prof. Nilofer Khan, Wednesday said women leaders, particularly in Kashmir, have played a foundational role in shaping the region’s cultural, educational and social fabric.
Addressing the “Women Edupreneurs Connect 2026”, organised by the Private Schools Association Jammu and Kashmir (PSAJK) at the MERC Auditorium, Prof. Khan called for greater opportunities for women to lead and innovate in the education sector.
She said the initiatives like “Women Edupreneurs Connect 2026” are aimed at empowering women and are vital for building progressive, inclusive and future-ready educational institutions across J&K.
“These visionary women have not only enlightened society through their leadership, but their dedication has played a transformative role in shaping generations,” she said,
She further added that women in Kashmir have historically contributed significantly to the development of society.
Referring to the legacy of 14th-century mystic poet and spiritual reformer Lal Ded (Lalleshwari), Prof. Khan said the wisdom of women had helped take Kashmiri society from an earlier era to an enlightened present.
She said Lal Ded’s Vakhs played a foundational role in shaping Kashmiri literature and cultural consciousness while promoting spiritual and moral values, self-realisation and interfaith harmony.
Prof. Khan highlighted the contribution of women at KU and said that women including teaching and non-teaching faculty, scholars and students had played a pivotal role in taking the institution to its present position.
She said that the university recently achieved NAAC A++ accreditation and attained UGC Category-I status, which, she said, placed it among India’s leading higher educational institutions with enhanced academic, administrative and financial autonomy.
Prof. Khan said the varsity was committed to creating an enabling ecosystem for women entrepreneurs by supporting them through different stages, from idea development and pre-incubation to incubation.
She also said the university’s Directorate of Lifelong Learning, NewGen and the Centre of Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship were providing training, mentorship and support to women seeking to establish entrepreneurial ventures.
“3,380 women have been empowered through women empowerment programmes conducted by the Directorate of Lifelong Learning during the last five years,” she said.
She added that 261 women had been trained through certificate programmes in community health, with several subsequently working at the mid-level in the health sector.
She added that the varsity recently incubated women innovators and provided them seed funding to establish startups.
Prof. Khan also recalled the contributions of women educators and social reformers, including Padmashree Mehmooda Ali Shah, Begum Zafar Ali, Atika Bano and Professor Neerja Mattu, for advancing girls’ education, social reform and women’s empowerment.
She further added that minister for education Sakina Itoo, who was present at the event, was a “perfect role model and inspiration” for women seeking to bring positive change to society, citing her contribution in social welfare, healthcare, school education, higher education and other priority sectors.
The VC congratulated PSAJK for recognising women education leaders of J&K and called for a collective effort to create an educational and social environment where women could “dream, innovate and lead with confidence.”
She stressed that the development of both government and private educational institutions was essential for preparing the younger generation to meet future challenges.
Earlier in his address, president Private Schools Association J&K (PSAJK) Nazrul Islam Baba said the initiative was conceived as the beginning of a broader movement to recognise the contribution of women in education.
“Women Edupreneurs Connect is our humble attempt to celebrate their success, recognise their leadership and provide them with a platform where they can connect, learn, collaborate and inspire one another,” he said.
