Prof. Karamjeet Singh is an accomplished academician and the founding Vice-Chancellor of Jagat Guru Nanak Dev Punjab State Open University, Patiala. He has been taken over as the new Vice-Chancellor at Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU). Being a new Vice-Chancellor at GNDU, Prof. Singh showed appreciation for the given chance as well as outlined his vision for the progress of his university on the global map.
Prof. Singh said his appointment was like a homecoming, underlining the deep sense of affinity he has with the university and the region. An alumnus of GNDU and son of the soil of the district, he said that this opportunity is a personal blessing too. “While we have moved miles in the higher education sector, Punjab’s gross enrollment ratio stands at a mere 29.10%. Thus, a majority of our youth are not getting enrolled in higher education,” he said. His first objective is to bring it in line with the Government of India’s aim of raising this figure to 50%. He is able to achieve this goal of accessibility and inclusiveness, making higher education more feasible and sustainable.
Prof. Singh also highlighted the recent uptick in enrollment in undergraduate as well as postgraduate courses and said this was a new opportunity for the state and urged the university to avail of this momentum and maintain local talent and employability. “The rise in student enrollments because of new restrictions by Canada opens up a golden opportunity. We must introduce skill-based and AI-driven courses to ready students for future job markets as well as encourage entrepreneurship,” he added.
Prof. Singh stressed that GNDU needs to strengthen scientific and social science researches, as these are crucial for the development of this institution. He said innovation should be in response to the most critical contemporary issues, so GNDU will continue to lead in all disciplines. He also shared plans to take online education to remote students, making quality higher education accessible to the underprivileged, differently-abled, and even jail inmates. In his opening remarks, Singh reiterated his commitment to a dynamic, inclusive, and future-oriented institution that emphasized accessibility, skill development, and academic excellence.
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