The Rajasthan government has decided to improve the quality of polytechnic colleges in line with industrial investment potential in the state, Chief Secretary V Srinivas said.
Recently, ‘Samvad’ (dialogue) programme was held in Jaipur, chaired by Srinivas, to discuss the strengthening of government polytechnic colleges and improvement of the quality of technical education.
The event brought together principals from 10 government polytechnic colleges located in Jodhpur, Ajmer, Kota, Alwar, Bharatpur, Sikar, Bikaner, and Jaipur (including the government women’s polytechnic colleges in Jaipur and Kota). Each institution delivered presentations, which covered technical departments, infrastructure, student placements, innovations, best practices, future action plans, and key challenges they face.
Recognising the vital role polytechnic colleges play in transforming Rajasthan into a manufacturing hub, the chief secretary issued necessary directives to strengthen these institutions.
“The interactions focused on building industry-academia interface, developing centres of excellence, modernisation of laboratories and promoting peer learning,” he said.
He noted that the growing industrial investment in the state creates vast opportunities for technical education and the employment of skilled personnel. As the demand for skilled technical staff and ‘blue-collar’ workforce in industries will remain consistent, polytechnic education must be upgraded to align with industrial requirements.
Srinivas emphasised that these colleges’ curricula should be updated to meet industry needs, and that skill development and training programs should be organised for the faculty.
He called for effective measures to modernise laboratories. Furthermore, he directed that special efforts be made to ensure better placement opportunities and higher salary packages for students.
He also suggested organising workshops, field visits, and technical dialogues regularly to foster greater coordination between technical educational institutions and the industrial sector.
“Institutions should consistently organise workshops, seminars, and special sessions on emerging technologies to foster academic activities, while also providing students with practical training and insights into industrial operations,” he said.
Emphasising the need to enhance collaboration between polytechnic colleges and engineering colleges, Srinivas urged the promotion of cooperation across various academic and technical programs.
He directed that efforts be made to establish at least five ‘centres of excellence’ in the state. To this end, he suggested exploring the possibility of developing these centres in coordination with, and with the support of, public sector undertakings (PSUs).
Additional Chief Secretary for Higher and Technical Education, Kuldeep Ranka, stated that there are currently around 68 government polytechnic colleges operating in the state with a student strength of around 12,500. The state government is making continuous efforts to increase student enrolment in these institutions and to improve their overall functioning.
Ranka said that as part of this initiative, three centres of excellence have already been established in Jaipur and one in Jodhpur, with additional centres are being set up in Jodhpur and Bikaner.
