Kerala Aims to Become Hub for Next-Gen Higher Education, Says CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Kerala: At the inaugural address of the International Conclave on Next-gen Higher Education at Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat), Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan emphasized Kerala’s commitment to transforming itself into a leading higher education hub in India.

He highlighted the state’s focused efforts to improve higher education, stating that Kerala recognizes the need to invest in this sector to meet both local needs and global demands. “This conclave is a call to build an emerging hub of academic diversity, with institutions of excellence and autonomous research centres,” Vijayan remarked.

Vijayan outlined Kerala’s dual strategy to strengthen its education system: enhancing employability through skill development and curriculum modifications, while also advancing research and innovation to foster knowledge creation. He stressed that society-connected knowledge can only be built through robust research, and this area must be further developed.

The CM also emphasized the state’s vision to make quality higher education accessible to all, including those with different learning challenges. “Kerala is committed to fostering a globally competitive higher education system by attracting both national and international students,” he said.

Additionally, Kerala is focusing on initiatives like graduate tracking to monitor the career paths of higher education graduates and has launched campus industrial parks and skill parks to further support students.

The state’s ‘Study in Kerala’ initiative, launched by Finance Minister K N Balagopal, aims to reduce the outflow of students seeking education abroad and to encourage foreign students to study in Kerala, boosting the state’s educational freedom.

Higher Education Minister R Bindu also shared that Kerala is focusing on ‘brain gain’ to reverse the migration of students by investing Rs 5,674 crore in improving higher education infrastructure, with the aim of establishing Kerala as an international education hub.

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