Seminar on ‘Making Chandigarh Colleges Autonomous’ Held at Punjab Raj Bhavan
Focus on Advancing NEP 2020 Goals through Institutional Excellence
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, May 22, 2025 –
A seminar titled ‘Making Chandigarh Colleges Autonomous’ was held today at Punjab Raj Bhavan, organized by the Department of Higher Education, Chandigarh Administration, to discuss strategies for implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in local higher education institutions.
Governor of Punjab and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria inaugurated the seminar and emphasized empowering colleges through autonomy to foster academic excellence, innovation, and institutional responsiveness in tune with NEP 2020.
“Institutional autonomy is key to preparing our colleges for the future. NEP 2020 lays a robust foundation to ensure quality, flexibility, and student-centric education,” he stated.
The seminar featured keynote addresses and expert insights:
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Dr. R. Manoj Kumar, Joint Secretary, UGC, highlighted UGC’s graded autonomy framework, quality benchmarks, and supportive policies to help colleges become self-governing and outcome-oriented.
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Dr. Ravindra Singh Pardeshi, Former Principal of Fergusson College, Pune, shared his institution’s experience of transitioning to autonomy, citing improved curriculum relevance and student outcomes.
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Prof. Renu Vig, Vice Chancellor, Panjab University, and Dr. Dalip Kumar, Member, State Higher Education Council, UT, underscored the need for aligning Chandigarh’s education system with NEP's goals of equity, quality, and innovation.
Principals and faculty from both government and private colleges participated in interactive discussions on academic reforms, faculty development, infrastructure enhancement, and quality assurance.
The event marks a significant step in Chandigarh's roadmap toward NEP 2020 implementation and transforming its colleges into hubs of excellence.
Senior officials including Vivek Pratap Singh, Principal Secretary to Governor; Prerna Puri, Secretary Education; Abhijit Vijay Chaudhari, Special Secretary to Administrator; Rubinderjit Singh Brar, Director Higher Education; Dr. Richa Rathi, Additional Director Higher Education, and Prof. Jaspal Singh Sandhu were also present.