CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday said Tamil Nadu has already achieved 50% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), which the Centre is targeting to achieve through its National Education Policy by 2030.

Addressing a conference of vice-chancellors here at the Secretariat, for the first time since the Supreme Court delivered the historic judgment declaring Tamil Nadu governor’s action of indefinitely reserving ten bills for the President’s assent as unconstitutional, Stalin made a strong appeal to the universities and higher educational institutions in the State to make drastic transformation in the education curriculum in sync with the fast-changing world and technological innovations.

“Though the GER of Tamil Nadu in higher education stands first in the country with 51.3%, which is double the national average, this has to be improved further,” he said, reiterating that the state has not accepted the National Education Policy, which has targeted 50% GER in 2030, “which we have already crossed now”.

Pointing out that science and technology have advanced across the globe, he said, “Universities should keep pace and students should be made future-ready.”

Stating that quality enhancement and sustenance measures to offer quality higher education has enabled TN-HEIs excel at the national level, he said more than 25 universities in the state are in the top 100 in the National Institutional Ranking Framework ranking.

The chief minister said artificial intelligence and green energy industry 4.0 are steering the economy, and accordingly, the curriculum should introduce data science, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing in the syllabus. “Students should not be just graduates, they should be innovators to land job opportunities”, he said, adding “faculty development programmes have to be improved and infrastructure should be given priority.”