Telangana’s higher education strong, says UGC head

UGC Head said those completing their studies from Telangana were excelling in different fields.

Hyderabad: Higher education in Telangana has come in for praise from University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Prof. Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar who described it as ‘strong’ in comparison with several other States in the country.

Prof Kumar, who was in the city for the 6th Graduation Day ceremony of Andhra Mahila Sabha Arts and Science College for Women here on Saturday, said those completing their studies from Telangana were excelling in different fields.

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“When compared to other States, higher education in Telangana is strong,” he said adding that students from the State were performing well in different sectors such as software, administration apart from enrolling in the Indian Institutes of Technology. “Telugu students (are) doing well,” quipped Prof. Kumar while speaking to the presspersons on the sidelines of the event.
However, he requested the universities in the State to quickly implement the new National Education Policy (NEP) so as to give students more “freedom and high quality education”.

Digital University:

Prof. Kumar also revealed that the National Digital University commencing in July 2023 plans to offer certificate, diploma and degree programmes in emerging areas including fintech, financial management, machine learning and data science with high job potential. “These courses could be offered in the digital mode and if any simulation is required, students could do it online,” he said.

Students enrolling in the National Digital University, according to the UGC Chairman, will be provided internships in the industries ensuring experiential learning. He hoped that several students living in the rural areas who cannot come to cities for higher education would get high quality education through the university.

PhD:

Prof. Kumar said all four-year UG and integrated degree students with a minimum of 75 per cent of marks were eligible for PhD admissions as per the new guidelines issued by the UGC. However, those who have not pursued projects, thesis and research in their UG course should opt for extra courses in research in their PhD programme, he said.

In order to maintain standards of teaching and research, the UGC Chairman said the universities should have autonomy. “The NEP also says the same thing. We want to encourage the institutions across the country to become autonomous,” he said.

During the event, the UGC Chairman presented 51 gold medals to the meritorious students in the UG and PG courses. A UG student Venna Meghana has bagged five gold medals. As many as 869 students were presented certificates.