Lokesh pushes varsities to align degrees with jobs

Amaravati: Minister for IT and HRD Nara Lokesh on Monday called on Vice-Chancellors of Andhra Pradesh’s public universities to assume the role of reform leaders, warning that outdated curricula, weak industry linkages and irrelevant research were eroding the credibility of higher education. Addressing a review meeting of Vice-Chancellors chaired by Governor Abdul Nazeer, Lokesh said universities were central to building a knowledge-based society and must function as ambassadors of reform rather than custodians of legacy systems.

Outlining a five-point reform agenda, the Minister identified the growing mismatch between what universities teach and what the economy demands as the foremost challenge. Degrees from Indian universities, he said, were losing global relevance due to slow curriculum renewal.

Citing his experience at Stanford, Lokesh noted that leading global institutions continuously redesign programmes to keep pace with change, urging state universities to undertake comprehensive syllabus reforms.

The second concern, he said, was poor employability. Limited internships, apprenticeships and campus placement systems had weakened the value of degrees, compounded by fragile links between universities and industry. Lokesh said it was unacceptable that graduates often required external training hubs to become job-ready, calling it an institutional failure rather than a student shortcoming.

He also flagged the widening gap between research and real-world impact. Universities, he said, must move beyond journal publications and focus on innovation, startups, patents and solutions to challenges such as water scarcity, climate change, agriculture and public health.

Acknowledging legacy problems such as faculty shortages and administrative burdens, he said that academic leadership must prioritise teaching quality, faculty development and data-driven decision-making.

According to him, the fifth challenge is inequality in student experience, including inadequate mentoring, welfare and mental health support. Universities, he said, risk irrelevance if they fail to listen to students, urging vice-chancellors to hold weekly open-house interactions.

Calling for financial self-reliance, Lokesh urged institutions to leverage alumni networks, highlighting Andhra University’s global alumni presence, and diversify revenue sources. He reiterated the government’s commitment to protecting university autonomy while expecting measurable outcomes. “Our goal is clear: world-class public universities,” he said, asking vice-chancellors to demonstrate progress by the next review meeting.

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