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Govt to Develop Framework to Fix Academic, Infra Issues in Higher Education Institutions

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced a framework to address academic and infrastructural issues in higher education institutions. A high-level review meeting focused on immediate improvements in hostel, sports, and faculty facilities. A committee will be formed to suggest measures for a vibrant, student-centric campus. A separate high-level committee is reviewing NIT Kurukshetra's functioning under the NITSER Act.

Key Points: Higher Education Reforms: Govt to Address Academic, Infra Issues

  • Government to develop framework for academic and infra issues in HEIs
  • Focus on student well-being, hostel facilities, sports, and faculty upgradation
  • Committee of directors, alumni, faculty, students to monitor campus vibrancy
  • High-level committee reviews NIT Kurukshetra's functioning under NITSER Act
2 min read

Addressing academic, infra issues in higher education institutions: Dharmendra Pradhan​

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announces framework to address academic and infrastructural issues in higher education institutions, focusing on student well-being and campus ambience.

"Urgent steps are required to enhance campus vibrancy and strengthen systems for constructive student engagement. - Dharmendra Pradhan"

New Delhi, April 28

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that the government will develop a framework to address academic and infrastructural issues across higher education institutions, with a focus on student well-being and institutional ambience, an official said on Tuesday.​

Chairing a high-level review meeting on matters relating to NIT Kurukshetra and the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur in West Bengal, Pradhan issued student-centric measures, including immediate improvement in hostel facilities, adequate sports facilities, and a structured upgradation programme for faculty, focusing on campus life, including student mentoring.​

The meeting decided that a committee comprising directors of HEIs, noted alumni, faculty, and students will be constituted to suggest and monitor measures for a vibrant, student-centric campus.​

Concerted efforts to promote sports culture and to review/revamp academic blocks, labs, libraries, hostels, messes, and recreational clubs will also be made as a priority, said the Ministry in a statement.​

Tuesday's meeting was attended by the Chairperson, Board of Governors, NIT Kurukshetra, Secretary (Higher Education), and other senior officials of the Ministry.​

Pradhan undertook a detailed review of the academic environment, campus life, and hostel management at these Institutes.​

It was observed that urgent steps are required to enhance campus vibrancy and strengthen systems for constructive student engagement.​

The Minister stressed the need to identify specific themes for intervention, including student engagement, faculty orientation, alumni involvement, academic support, innovation culture, hostel governance, sports culture, and overall campus management.​

The need to standardise faculty recruitment, ensure sensitive and proactive faculty representation in the Board of Governors (BoG), and appoint illustrative individuals with adequate time as Chairperson of the BoG was also discussed.​

With regard to the overall administrative and academic issues of the Institute, the Ministry, on March 29, constituted a high-level committee under the provisions of the NITSER Act, 2007, to review the work, progress, governance, and overall functioning of NIT Kurukshetra.​

The Committee, comprising Anil Sahasrabudhe (Chairman, NETF & Former Chairman, AICTE), M. Madan Gopal, IAS (Retd.) (Chairperson, BoG, VNIT Nagpur), and K.K. Shukla (Director, MANIT Bhopal), has been tasked to assess academic and administrative performance, recruitment and grievance-related issues, and institutional indicators such as NIRF rankings. The Committee is examining the series of issues it has been tasked with and is likely to submit its report shortly.​

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Sarah B
Minister Pradhan's focus on student mentoring and campus culture is long overdue. Indian engineering colleges often churn out graduates with excellent technical skills but zero soft skills. This holistic approach could be a game-changer if implemented seriously.
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Priya S
My cousin is at NIT Kurukshetra and she says the labs are outdated, like from the 90s. It's great that they're finally reviewing infrastructure but what about faculty quality? Many professors just read from old slides. We need dynamic teachers who inspire! 📚
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Michael C
All talk, no action so far. The high-level committees typically take years to submit reports which then gather dust. I hope this time is different because our NITs are falling behind private colleges. They need to standardize faculty recruitment fast and stop the nepotism in BoG appointments.
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Kavya N
As an alumna of IIEST Shibpur, I can confirm the campus ambiance needs a major overhaul. The historical buildings are beautiful but the hostels are falling apart. Glad to see alumni involvement being prioritized—we have so many successful graduates willing to contribute. ❤️
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Rohit P
Why only NIT Kurukshetra and IIEST Shibpur? All central universities and state engineering colleges need similar reforms. The student suicide crisis in many IITs and NITs shows how broken the system is. Mental health and sports culture should be mandatory, not just discussed in meetings. 🏏

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