SUMMIT REPORT, Gangtok 13 Feb:
Sikkim Manipal University has declared 2025 as the “Year of Skills-Based Education.”
Announcing this initiative at SMU Retreat 2.0, Air Vice Marshal Dr Dilip Chandra Agarwal, Vice Chancellor-SMU, underscored the urgent need to equip students with practical skills alongside their degrees. He emphasized that enhancing students’ employability was crucial in today’s competitive and rapidly evolving job market, an SMU press release states.
Dr Agarwal highlighted that several skills-based courses have already been introduced at SMU, particularly at the Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology campus in Majhitar. He further stated that these initiatives will be expanded soon across all constituent colleges and departments at both, the Majhitar and Tadong campuses.
He also stressed the importance of industrial collaborations, an industry-aligned curriculum, interdisciplinary research, and expanding course electives to ensure students gain relevant expertise.
“This is the need of the hour—to ensure our students are employable in an increasingly demanding and shrinking job market,” he stated. He also directed all departments to introduce at least two new skills-based courses in 2025 that will enhance the curriculum and improve students’ career prospects.
