Former IIT Guwahati Director T.G. Sitharam Assumes Charge as AICTE Chairman

New Delhi: Prof. T. G. Sitharam, a former director of the Indian Institute of Technology in Guwahati, took over as chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar, Chairperson of the University Grants Commission, who had also been in charge of the AICTE since September 2022, handed the reins over to Prof. Sitharam.

Prof. Parameswar K. Iyer took over as Officiating Director of IIT Guwahati from Prof. Sitharam with the agreement of the Minister of Education in his capacity as Chairperson of the IIT Council.

"I will work with every stakeholder in the education domain to transform Higher education into large, well-resourced, vibrant multidisciplinary providing high quality teaching, innovation, entrepreneurship, research, and community engagement hubs," Prof. T.G. Sitharam said upon taking office as the AICTE Chairman.

In order to develop leaders and innovators and produce new knowledge for a sustainable society, Prof. Sitharam wants to offer transformative education to Indian students.

By increasing the Gross Enrollment Ratio in Higher Education to 50% by 2035 through AICTE interventions, Prof. Sitharam hopes to transform India into a centre of worldwide educational expertise.

According to a statement made by Prof. Sitharaman, he sees 5 different routes leading to a competitive, modern, and industrialised India:

outcome-based education powered by technology
Job-creator mode (JCR)
Provider of industry solutions (ISP)
research, innovation, and startup mode
linguistic education in Indian

Additionally, the new AICTE Chairman outlined his action plan, which is in line with the long-term objectives of the Indian government highlighted in the National Education Policy 2020. These consist of:

Increasing technical schools' capabilities through digital infrastructure, accreditation, and rankings
increasing placements, increasing internships, and preparing students for the workplace
Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan Implementation through Higher Education Institutions
Including PM GATI SHAKTI in educational initiatives
enhancing public-private collaboration on innovation, employment, and skill development
Getting Past Regional and Language Barriers
Programs of Twinning for Cooperation with Foreign Universities

Prof. Sitharam has held numerous administrative posts at institutions including IISc, IIT, and CIT and participated in numerous boards in addition to working on multidisciplinary topics and solving a variety of societal difficulties for more than six years. He has extensive leadership and administrative experience in directing academic departments, programmes, research centres, start-up businesses, and entrepreneurial endeavours as a result.

Another important focus area emphasised by the new AICTE Chairman is the focus on diverse research topics in cooperation with foreign institutions and research centres while developing an industrial co-innovation network to accomplish Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Prof. T.G. Sitharam said, "With more advanced research at all universities, AICTE can produce numerous Innovations and new start-ups as an amazing job creator," when discussing the creation of an entrepreneurial ecosystem and providing employment prospects for India's young people.

In the AICTE transformation framework put forth by Prof. Sitharam, research issues that are important to society are addressed through innovation with an SDG emphasis orientation. As a result, AICTE must act as a policy advisor to the government and all stakeholders, examining the possible impact of sustainable development using the right tools and methodology. Additionally, through developing an ecosystem for co-innovation and start-ups by constructing job-oriented capacities, students and faculty will be empowered with incentives and awards. Prof. Sitharam also suggests switching from building Towers of Excellence to a Network of Excellence with Collaborative Value Positions incorporating other top schools.

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