University Grants Commission (UGC) Secretary Manish Joshi was felicitated by APSCHE Vice-Chairman S. Vijayabhaskar Rao, SPMVV Vice-Chancellor Uma Vennam and Registrar R. Usha at a program in Tirupati on Friday. | Photo credit: KV Poornachandra Kumar
University Grants Commission (UGC) Secretary Manish Joshi on Friday (February 06, 2026) said the main objective of the UGC was to impart skills which are the essential component of achieving a developed India (Viksit Bharat) by 2047.
He was speaking at the South Zone (Andhra Pradesh) UGC conference on ‘Steps towards Industry, Knowledge, Apprenticeship and Skills’ (VIKAS 2026) conducted in collaboration with Sri Padmavati Mahila Viswa Vidyalayam (SPMVV) here on Friday. He emphasized the need to raise the quality of standards in higher education and make it a part of India’s development.
Emphasizing the importance of industry-academia collaboration and brainstorming sessions, he states that policies should not only be formulated but effectively implemented in higher education institutions.
“Institutions that have already implemented the Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Program (AEDP) guidelines should share their experiences, benefits and insights on how the program supports students in securing employment opportunities,” Prof Joshi said, adding that understanding the implementation challenges and getting the right feedback from students would help shape the policy effectively.
Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) Vice-Chairman S. Vijayabhaskara Rao explained the state government’s new initiatives and the development of institutional frameworks to support entrepreneurship.
SPMVV Vice-Chancellor Uma Vennamová stated that the goal of the conference was the successful implementation of the NEP-2020 reforms, the design of SWAYAM Plus modules and the support of joint curriculum creation through constructive discussions.
Registrar R. Usha invited the participants to share their experiences of AEDP and jointly create a comprehensive plan.
UGC Joint Secretary Avichal Kapur, Conference Coordinators Vidyavathi and Shobha Rani were present.
Published – 06 Feb 2026 20:13 IST