Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has called for India’s leading technical institutes, including NITs, IISERs, and IIESTs, to come under a national accreditation framework. The move is aimed at ensuring high standards of teaching, research, and innovation, while making these institutes more accountable and globally competitive.
The Minister emphasised that accreditation will help assess and improve the quality of academic programmes, governance, and research output. Officials said most NITs and IISERs have agreed to actively participate in the framework, marking a significant step towards structured quality benchmarks across India’s premier technical campuses.
Alongside accreditation, Pradhan proposed comprehensive Ph.D. reforms. The focus is on making doctoral programmes more industry-oriented and aligned with emerging global technology areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cybersecurity, semiconductors, and green energy solutions. Flexible research pathways, internships, and stronger collaboration with industry are expected to make Ph.D. research more practical and impactful.
The Minister also urged the creation of industry-led curriculum committees to update courses to match modern workforce requirements. Institutes are being encouraged to introduce specialised postgraduate programmes, expand research parks and incubation centres, and support startups and entrepreneurship. Seven IISERs will additionally focus on campus-specific specialisations, establishing Centres of Excellence and Section 8 companies to boost innovation ecosystems.
According to the Ministry, these reforms aim to enhance employability, strengthen innovation, and improve India’s global ranking in technical education and research. The initiatives also reflect a broader vision to align higher education with national priorities and emerging technology needs, ensuring students and researchers are better prepared for 21st-century challenges.
By combining quality accreditation, industry-focused Ph.D. reforms, and modernised curricula, the Ministry hopes to transform India’s top technical institutes into globally competitive centres of research and innovation, while fostering a closer connection between academic knowledge and real-world industry demands.
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