‘Stronger industry-academia collab vital to realise NEP goals’

Kolkata: Buddha Chandrasekhar, Chief Coordinating Officer of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), has stressed the need for stronger collaboration between industry and academia to fully realise the objectives of the NEP 2020.

Speaking at the CII Education East Summit 2025 in Kolkata, Chandrasekhar described NEP 2020 as a visionary initiative aimed at building a multidisciplinary and globally competitive education ecosystem. He, however, noted that its success hinges on the collective efforts of educational institutions, industry leaders, and policymakers.

Chandrasekhar observed that the current education system often promotes individual competition rather than teamwork and collaboration. He emphasised the importance of reorienting education to make it more industry-driven, thereby enabling students to become professionals or entrepreneurs who can contribute to national growth. Encouraging risk-taking, teamwork, and experiential learning, he said, would help students develop resilience, creativity and an innovative spirit—qualities essential for India’s aspiration to become a “Vishwa Guru” once again. To bridge the gap between academia and industry, the CII Eastern Region has launched the Industry–Academia Yatra, a series of focused roundtables across industrial clusters aimed at aligning education with industry needs and creating pathways for internships, skills and future careers.

Mohanka, executive chairman of Tega Industries Limited, underscored that entrepreneurship, rather than employment alone, will be key to achieving India’s goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047.

He called for stronger support for first-time entrepreneurs and MSMEs, which contribute about 35 per cent to India’s GDP, and urged greater inclusion of women in the workforce.