‘Students must be employable’

At a time when higher education in India is being reshaped by policy reforms, technological disruption, and evolving industry demands, Panjab University (PU) stands at a crucial crossroads.

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Professor (Dr) Renu Vig, who is discharging the responsibilities of Vice-Chancellor of the university, spoke to Anurag Kumar on various issues, including balancing PU’s rich academic legacy with the need for modernisation, aligning curricula with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, bolstering research and innovation, and navigating the complex dynamics of campus politics.

In this candid interaction, the professor also reflects on employability, student activism, and the challenges of leading one of the country's premier multidisciplinary universities.

Q: What is your long-term vision for Panjab University in an era of rapid changes taking place in higher education?

A: The mandate for any higher educational institution is to provide holistic education to the students. It is our mandate to ensure that, upon completing their education, students possess the necessary skills to be employable or financially independent. Plus, their value system should also be strong. So, we have to maintain a balance between these two.

Panjab University has departments in almost every field. We have science departments, engineering departments, law, pharmacy, medical science, social science, languages, and management.

As far as the students of management, engineering, pharmacy, and science are concerned, they can get jobs once they complete their degrees. There are some other departments, like languages and social sciences, where getting a job is not easy. The engineering, science, and management departments generally ensure that more than 80 percent of the students graduate with jobs in hand.