VC Conference: Reverse trend of students going abroad for their education, says Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann

“All the academicians sitting under this roof are achievers because of their hard work, dedication and sincerity, but the responsibility of producing more gems like you rests solely on your shoulders,” he said while addressing the gathering during a vice-presidential conference. Chancellor here at the Punjab Raj Bhawan. He commended Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria for holding this conference which will go a long way in further improving the standard of higher education in the state. Mann also had a meeting with the governor. A spokesperson for the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said no other issues were discussed at the meeting.

Addressing the conference, Mann said the state government was determined to give impetus to higher education in Punjab for which no stone would be left unturned. “We have two major universities with more than 40,000 students, but due to the regressive policies of the previous governments, the number of students from Punjab was less in these universities. Thanks to his government’s efforts, the trend of going abroad has reversed. There has been a rise in admissions in colleges and universities in the state,” he added.

The chief minister said that 43 government colleges of Punjab were accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and three colleges received ‘A’ grade.

Mann said the state government is considering introducing artificial intelligence in the areas of agriculture, education, finance and policing.

Concluding the conference, Kataria shared his vision to make Punjab a national education leader. The governor urged the state government to provide strong support to academic institutions and assist them in promoting research and innovation. “With joint efforts, we can improve Punjab’s education system and position it as a national model,” he said.

The Governor proposed to organize this conference twice a year to enable continuous sharing of findings and tracking of progress. Cabinet Minister Harjot Singh Bains also addressed the gathering.

The meeting was attended by NAAC director Ganesan Kannabiran, University Grants Commission (UGC) joint secretary Avichal Raj Kapur and former UGC chairman Ved Prakash.