Minister For IT And HRD Nara Lokesh Calls For Job-Linked University Education

• AP IT & HRD Minister Nara Lokesh urged Vice-Chancellors of public universities to act as reform leaders to restore the credibility of higher education
• Outdated curricula, weak industry linkages and low employability flagged as key threats to the relevance of university degrees
• Government seeks world-class public universities, stressing syllabus reform, applied research, student welfare and measurable outcomes

Minister for IT and Human Resources Development Nara Lokesh urged Vice-Chancellors of public universities in Andhra Pradesh to step up as agents of reform, cautioning that outdated curricula, weak industry engagement and disconnected research were steadily undermining the credibility of higher education. Addressing a review meeting of Vice-Chancellors chaired by Governor Abdul Nazeer, Lokesh said universities must act as drivers of change and not remain custodians of legacy systems if they are to remain relevant in a rapidly evolving global economy.

Emphasising the role of universities in building a knowledge-based society, the Minister said the growing mismatch between academic instruction and economic needs was the most pressing challenge. He observed that degrees offered by Indian universities were gradually losing global relevance due to slow and infrequent curriculum renewal. Drawing from his academic exposure at Stanford University, Lokesh said leading global institutions continuously redesign their programmes to stay aligned with technological and economic shifts. State universities, he added, must undertake comprehensive syllabus reforms to reflect emerging skills and future-ready disciplines.

Poor employability outcomes formed another major area of concern, Lokesh said, pointing to the limited availability of internships, apprenticeships and robust campus placement mechanisms. Weak industry linkages, he noted, had diluted the value of university degrees. “When graduates are forced to depend on external training centres to become job-ready, it is an institutional failure, not a student shortcoming”, he said, stressing the need for closer collaboration between academia and industry.

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The Minister also flagged the widening gap between academic research and real-world impact. While acknowledging the importance of scholarly publications, he said universities must expand their focus to innovation, startups, patents and practical solutions addressing pressing challenges such as water scarcity, climate change, agriculture and public health. Research, he said, should translate into measurable social and economic outcomes.

Referring to long-standing issues such as faculty shortages and administrative overloads, Lokesh said academic leadership must place greater emphasis on teaching quality, continuous faculty development and data-driven governance. He also highlighted inequality in student experience, citing gaps in mentoring, welfare systems and mental health support. Universities, he warned, risk becoming irrelevant if they fail to listen to student concerns, and urged Vice-Chancellors to hold weekly open-house interactions with students.

Calling for greater financial self-reliance, Lokesh encouraged universities to actively engage alumni networks and diversify revenue streams, citing Andhra University’s strong global alumni presence as an example. Reiterating the government’s commitment to protecting institutional autonomy, he said accountability and measurable outcomes were equally important. “Our goal is clear which is to build world-class public universities”, he said, asking Vice-Chancellors to demonstrate tangible progress by the next review meeting.

HRD Secretary Kona Sasidhar, Higher Education Council Chairman K. Madhumurthy and Special Chief Secretary Budithi Rajasekhar were among those who attended the meeting.

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