HYDERABAD: Technology is moving fast, and higher education cannot afford to stay on the same track. Telangana IT and Industries Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu has called for universities to rethink what they teach and how they prepare students for the workplace.
Speaking at the Research Education Advancement Conclave (REACH) 2026, organised by the Telangana Council of Higher Education (TGCHE) at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad (JNTUH), Sridhar Babu said curriculum revision should keep pace with rapidly evolving technologies and graduates should leave university with skills that match industry requirements.
He said the rapid pace of technological change posed a challenge for policymakers and educational institutions, and stressed the need to narrow the gap between professional education and employment by strengthening industry-academia links.
“Students should be made job-ready at the time of graduation and also be research-savvy for the world of innovation and entrepreneurship,” he said.
Sridhar said the state government was committed to attracting investments across sectors, promoting Global Capability Centres and strengthening digital infrastructure. Universities, he said, should prepare students to tackle relevant societal problems by addressing gaps in skills and knowledge.
He called for a shift from a degree-centric to a skill-centric approach and urged industries to set up industry-supported incubation centres in universities. Stronger alumni networks, he added, could help universities build closer links with industry.