Malappuram (Kerala): Kerala will take steps to align higher education with emerging job opportunities and technological advancements, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said here on Friday.
Inaugurating a newly constructed academic block at GEMS Arts and Science Autonomous College at Ramapuram here, Satheesan said the government would give priority to transforming higher education in tune with the changing world of work.
He said a ‘Global Job Watch Tower’ system would be set up with experts focusing on 12 to 15 key sectors to continuously monitor rapidly changing employment trends globally.
Based on its reports, university curriculam would be periodically restructured and greater emphasis would be given to job-oriented courses, he said.
The government would focus on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, quantum computing, robotics and genetic engineering to create new employment opportunities, Satheesan said.
Steps would also be taken to bring campuses of reputed foreign legacy universities and innovative courses to Kerala after implementing the University Bill by October, he said.
Satheesan appreciated the ‘Njangalum Collegeilekku’ (We Too, To College) initiative being implemented by GEMS College to help women who had discontinued their studies for various reasons resume higher education.
The scheme would be extended to all 140 Assembly constituencies and is expected to help at least 25,000 women complete undergraduate and postgraduate studies, he said.
The chief minister also urged students not to limit education to examinations and marks, but develop an interest in knowledge and a spirit of continuous inquiry.
He said GEMS, established in the cooperative sector in 2008, was the first college in the country to receive an ‘A’ grade from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council and autonomous status.
The new academic block has been constructed on a 23,000-square-foot area on the college campus, according to a statement. PTI
