Education must prepare students for world of work: Telangana Min. Sridhar Babu
Hyderabad, Oct 3 (TNT): Education should equip students with industry-relevant skills and practical exposure and ensure they are job-ready at the time of graduation, Telangana IT and Industries Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu said on Saturday.
Addressing REACH-2026 Research, Education and Advancement Conclave organised by the Telangana Council of Higher Education (TGCHE) at JNTUH, Kukatpally, he said there should be no gap between academia and industry and called for a continuous pathway from classroom to career, education to skills and research to enterprise.
The Minister said the education system should move beyond a degree-centric approach and focus on meaningful skills and real-world problem-solving.
He stressed the need for stronger industry participation in curriculum design, laboratories, internships, apprenticeships, live projects, research and innovation.
Sridhar Babu said every university should establish an incubation centre to provide students, researchers and innovators with an ecosystem to convert ideas and research into startups, products and enterprises.
He said Telangana was witnessing opportunities across IT, Global Capability Centres, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, electronics, aerospace, defence, advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies, and stressed the need to equip youth to meet these opportunities.
The Minister highlighted the government’s initiative to transform 65 government ITIs into Advanced Technology Centres in partnership with Tata Technologies, with a focus on robotics, industrial automation, modern manufacturing, Industry 4.0 and emerging technologies.
Referring to the Young India Skills University, he said the State was building an education and skilling ecosystem linked to technology, employment and the aspirations of young people.
The Minister also called for stronger collaboration among universities, research institutions and industry to take research from laboratories to the marketplace and generate innovation, startups and employment.
The REACH-2026 conclave focused on transforming higher education for global competitiveness and Telangana Rising @2047, advancing research excellence and innovation, and building an innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem from research to enterprise.
TGCHE Chairman Prof V Balakista Reddy, JNTUH Vice-Chancellor Prof T Kishan Kumar Reddy, Osmania University Vice-Chancellor Prof M Kumar, Cyient Founder and Chairman Dr B V R Mohan Reddy, Prof Purushottam, entrepreneurs, innovators and industrialists participated.
Vice-Chancellors and representatives of around 60 government and deemed universities and higher education institutions took part in the discussions.
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