IITs crowning jewels of Indian higher education system: Education Minister

New Delhi, Aug 25 The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are the crowning jewels of higher education system in the country, said Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday.

Chairing the 56th IIT Council Meeting, he also charted a roadmap for the IITs for the next 25 years. It aims to make the prestigious institutes “more inclusive, research-driven".

“Pleased to chair the 56th IIT Council Meeting to take stock of the academic progress and chart the roadmap for the next 25 years, particularly for making our IITs more inclusive, research-driven,” Pradhan shared in a post on the social media platform X.

He added that the roadmap is also “aligned to the needs of the 21st century and how these prestigious institutions will lead India’s scientific, technological, and societal progress by 2047 in sync with the strategic goals outlined by PM Narendra Modi ji during his Independence Day address”.

The Minister noted that the IITs will be significant to enable India to become a prosperous, developed, and self-reliant country.

“Our IITs are the crowning jewels of our higher education system. They will play a central role in realising the vision of ‘Samriddh, Viksit and Atmanirbhar Bharat’,” the Union Minister said.

The council deliberated on mechanisms to enhance global collaborations, deepen industry partnerships, and encourage multidisciplinary research across IITs.

The roadmap will also lay emphasis on innovation-led entrepreneurship and greater opportunities for students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds.

Last week, Pradhan informed the Parliament that the number of higher education institutes (HEIs) from India has doubled in the QS World University Rankings (QS-WUR) over the last five years. From 27 in 2021 to 54 in 2026, India has recorded its strongest presence in QS-WUR 2026.

For the first time, eight Indian institutions entered the list of QS rankings. It is the highest number of new entries from any country.

About four IITs made it to the list -- IIT Delhi (123rd rank) emerged as the country’s top-ranked institute, followed by IIT Bombay (129th rank), IIT Madras (180th rank), and IIT Kharagpur (215th rank).

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