Nagpur: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said the country cannot become great by merely talking about its past. He was speaking at the inaugural session of the Maharashtra Gyan Sabha 2026 at Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT). The conference is jointly organised by Nagpur University, Gondwana University, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Nagpur, and Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas.“We often say with great pride that our history has been glorious. When the world had not even conceptualised a university, we had already established Nalanda, Takshashila, and Vikramashila Universities. However, repeated invasions damaged these centres. The education model that followed eventually rendered our traditional system almost obsolete,” Fadnavis said.“At the same time, we cannot become great merely by talking about history. To become great, we must confront the challenges of the present and the future along with our history,” the CM added.Fadnavis stressed that Indianisation of global knowledge and globalisation of Indian knowledge is the core objective of New Education Policy (NEP).National secretary of Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas Atul Kothari, secretary to governor Prashant Narnavare, IIM-N director Bhimraya Metri, NU V-C Manali Kshirsagar, Gondwana University V-C Prashant Bokare, VNIT BoG chairman Madabhushi Madan Gopal, VNIT director Premlal Patel and industrialist Ravneet Khurana were present during the function.Fadnavis noted that the world is progressing at an unprecedented pace. “While the first industrial revolution began in 1760 and the next three unfolded over nearly 250 years, the world has witnessed three major industrial revolutions in just the past 15 years. Ignoring this rapid pace of change could leave us behind,” he said.The CM highlighted the role of Indians in advancing AI and deep technology. Fadnavis stressed the need to build an education system that integrates global and Indian knowledge systems.He further stated that nearly 60% of jobs are expected to undergo transformation within the next 1,000 days due to rapid technological advancements in AI and deep tech. However, this does not necessarily mean large-scale unemployment. Drawing a parallel with the computer revolution, he said similar concerns were raised then, but India successfully established its presence in that sector.“Govt is developing an EduCity in Navi Mumbai, where students will have access to foreign university education at affordable costs,” he said.QUALITATIVE EDUCATION KEY TO DEVELOPED INDIA: EXPERTSExperts at the Maharashtra Gyan Sabha stressed that India could achieve the goal of a developed nation through qualitative changes in education. The session, jointly organised by Nagpur University, Gondwana University, VNIT, IIM-N and Shikshan Sanskriti Utthan Nyas, focused on academic transformation under the National Education Policy 2020.Chaired by Shashikala Wanjari, speakers included Ujjwala Chakradeo, Vilas Sapkal, Dr Prashant Joshi, Prashant Gupta and A Vinod. The session was moderated by Shamrao Koreti.Speakers highlighted institutional excellence, governance reforms, and value-based education as key to transformation. Chakradeo stressed compassion and moral values, while Sapkal called for “light but tight” regulation. Dr Joshi emphasised ethical decision-making, and Gupta termed education, training and research as core pillars. Wanjari underlined holistic development and transparency, noting Maharashtra’s steady progress in higher education.
