Dehradun: Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan on Monday reviewed the functioning of government and private universities in the state during a meeting of the Higher Education Department at the Secretariat. He issued several key directions to develop higher educational institutions in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and promote quality-based education.
The Chief Secretary directed all government universities to prepare a five-year action plan. He said that all universities must focus on obtaining accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and achieving rankings under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). For this purpose, universities should formulate short-term, medium-term, and long-term strategies to meet all quality standards.
During the meeting, he instructed all 11 government universities in the state to develop an effective mechanism for evaluation and ranking. He also set a target of preparing state-level ranking criteria for all government and government-aided colleges within the next eight to ten days.
The Chief Secretary also emphasised the need to develop a student tracking mechanism so that students’ employment, higher education, and career progression can be monitored after the completion of their studies. He directed that internships should be made an integral part of academic programmes and that universities should establish coordination with industries, non-governmental organisations, and social institutions.
He also stressed the need to promote the study of foreign languages in universities, stating that it would provide students with better opportunities at the global level. He directed the concerned departments to play an active role in this initiative.
The meeting was attended by Secretary Dr. B.V.R.C. Purushottam, Additional Secretary Manoj Goyal, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Surekha Dangwal, Prof. Diwan S. Rawat, Prof. Naveen Chandra Lohani, Prof. N.K. Joshi, Prof. Satpal Singh Bisht, along with other senior officials.
