Chandigarh, June 7: Punjab is moving away from theoretical, rote-learning models by restructuring its higher education system around hands-on training and future industries, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains announced on Saturday. As part of this transition, Sardar Beant Singh State University in Gurdaspur will debut five specialized technology, pharmacy, and agricultural programs for the 2026-27 academic year.
The upcoming programs feature cutting-edge tracks, including B.Tech programs in Robotics & AI and Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning. The university will also expand its footprint into health and science sectors by launching a B.Pharmacy track, a B.Sc. in Agriculture, and integrated five-year postgraduate degrees in management and technology fields.
The educational reform mandates practical immersion over traditional classroom testing. Under the new guidelines, students must complete extensive, live industry projects and full-semester internships to qualify for graduation, ensuring they possess practical workplace skills before entering the job market.
The state leadership aims to curb youth migration by providing world-class pharmaceutical and technological training within state borders. The minister maintained that building modern facilities locally gives families a viable alternative to sending their children away for high-quality professional degrees.
“This initiative is designed to reverse the state’s brain drain,” Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains asserted. “Parents in Punjab should no longer feel forced to send their children outside for quality tech or pharma education. The Bhagwant Singh Mann Government is building future-ready universities right here.”
The Education Minister declared that the revised courses would turn the regional institution into a center for genuine innovation.
“The goal is to ensure that when a student graduates, they are already industry-ready,” Harjot Singh Bains noted, adding that the state-wide shift will fundamentally alter how the next generation learns and works.
