VIJAYAWADA: Emphasising the need for strong reforms in higher education, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy called for effective integration of school and higher education and changes in curriculum accordingly.
Addressing a meeting of the high-power working group on future technology skills on Thursday, he said the government had already initiated measures in that direction with the digitalisation of classroom teaching from class 6. He stressed the need for the inclusion of future tech skills in school and college curriculum.
He urged the working group to submit its recommendations on integrating the present school education reforms with higher education, introducing Artificial Intelligence (IA) and related verticals in curriculum and changing the teaching methods, examination and evaluation systems at school and college levels. The working group was asked to prepare an action plan by next Monday.
Aiming at shaping students into global citizens by making them competitive with proper training in emerging and future technologies, Jagan constituted the working group last month to make necessary recommendations. It consists of senior officials and representatives of global tech firms.
“As part of the reforms in higher education, we need to work on including augmented reality, virtual reality and related subjects in the curriculum and introducing necessary verticals like AI in every course in majority schools and colleges for turning our students into experts of various emerging technologies,” he said, stressing the need to equip the faculty also with the expertise of teaching advanced subjects.
“The main challenge before us is taking the present reforms in school education to the next level and integrating them with higher education,” he said, adding that teaching methods, examination and evaluation systems in schools and colleges should also be changed in tune with the emerging and future technologies.
“Since we are in the age of the International Baccalaureate, our students can’t compete globally unless we bring out the necessary changes, he felt. “By taking forward these changes and integrating them with higher education, we can turn our students into global leaders and IT experts,” Jagan opined and sought the cooperation of the working group in this regard.
The Chief Minister said in cooperation with IB, Oxford and Cambridge, they are going to change the curriculum and teaching methodology, which will be a benchmark for the entire country.