Govt. plans industry integration, skill-based curricula for higher education: Minister

State Higher Education Minister P. Vishwanathan chairing a consultation meeting with students and officials in Madurai on Tuesday (October 27, 2026). | Photo Credit: G. Moorthy During a consultation meeting held here on Tuesday (October 27, 2026), State Higher Education Minister P. Vishwanathan assured college representatives and students that the government was working towards establishing an educational framework designed to provide students with a definite employment platform upon graduation.The Minister, alongside MP Su. Venkatesan and other elected representatives from the district, co-chaired the interactive session involving local educators and students. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Vishwanathan said four key departments of education, sports, employment, and industries would operate in coordination to cultivate an environment capable of guaranteeing jobs for students pursuing higher education.He said out of the roughly 40,000 industrial establishments in the State — 20,000 located in districts neighbouring Chennai and 20,000 distributed across other districts — about 3,000 industries could initially be chosen in a pilot project for direct integration with educational institutions.Mr. Vishwanathan noted that such an initiative would encompass delivering practical industrial education, tailoring academic syllabi to match industrial demands, expanding higher educational horizons in foreign universities, and bridging the divide between academic institutions and industries.In his address, Mr. Venkatesan welcomed the sanction by the State to establish a new government arts college for women, alongside a specialised law college, in Madurai. He termed the move to provide financial security backing for education loans up to ₹20 lakh exceptional.He urged the Minister to transition Madurai Kamaraj University College into a fully-fledged government institution, which survived solely on educational fees.Criticising the uniform culture prevalent in higher educational institutions, he said colleges should not compel students to pay out of their pocket for mandatory uniforms. The very concept of a uniform culture ran counter to students’ innate creative mindset and freedom of expression.Dheeraj Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Higher Education Department, said the present government had pledged absolute administrative transparency, fair transfer counselling, and a completely corruption-free system.Local MLAs raised demands for new educational institutions in neglected regions such as Usilampatti and Sholavandan, where large numbers of students were forced to travel long distances for higher education.A student from a Madurai college sought creation of a government-backed platform to facilitate industrial internships. “Given that the undergraduate syllabus mandates a third-year internship, we are often unable to locate a suitable company or industry to complete it, which either severely affects our practical experience or leaves us lacking in professional exposure,” he added.Another student from Madurai Kamaraj University said a recent G.O. requiring students to clear university tuition fees out of their pocket before receiving their SC/ST scholarships had placed a severe burden on them.Another participant sought additional TNSTC buses on rural routes during peak morning hours to manage heavy commuter volumes.P. Rathinasamy, Director of Technical Education; Nishanth Krishna, District Collector; M.P. Vijayakumar, Vice-Chairman, Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education; MLAs A. Kallanai (Madurai North); S. Karthikeyan (Madurai East); M.V. Karuppiah (Sholavandan); and M. Vijay (Usilampatti) were present. Published - October 27, 2026 08:50 pm IST