New Delhi: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan urged India’s premier technological institutions to come under the Centre’s national accreditation framework, stressing the need to align higher education with national priorities and emerging industry needs.
He was speaking at the 13th meeting of the Council of National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (NITSER) held in New Delhi.
Highlighting the importance of quality assurance, Pradhan said that leading institutions, such as NITs, IISERs, and IIESTs, should actively participate in the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) process.
The government said all NITs and IISERs have agreed to complete their external peer review within a year. Several top-ranked institutions, including some IITs and NITs, currently do not hold NAAC accreditation.
The Minister also called for curriculum reforms driven by industry participation, proposing the establishment of industry-led committees to design courses aligned with new job roles and 21st-century skills.
Discussions focused on aligning teaching and research with critical technologies such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, green hydrogen and advanced manufacturing.
The Council deliberated on “360-degree PhD reforms”, including industry-led and industry-funded PhDs, product-based research, and performance-linked allocation of PhD scholars to faculty.
Other proposals included setting up incubation centres at 13 NITs that lack them, establishing research parks at 10 NITs, and organising a start-up pitching conclave in July in collaboration with investors and industry stakeholders.
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