The Gujarat government has taken another step towards strengthening teacher education infrastructure with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel laying the foundation stone for a new academic building and hostel at the Indian Institute of Teacher Education in Gandhinagar. The project, estimated to cost ₹127 crore, is expected to significantly expand the university's academic and residential facilities.

The new infrastructure will include a modern academic and faculty building, seminar halls, a library, sports facilities and a hostel capable of accommodating 600 students, reinforcing the institute's vision of becoming a leading centre for teacher education and research.

IITE to expand as a multidisciplinary university

Addressing the event, Gujarat Education Minister Pradyuman Vaja said the state continues to lead the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020 by promoting research, innovation and skill-based learning.

He noted that IITE is being transformed into a multidisciplinary university, with seven new university schools established to encourage interdisciplinary education, research and holistic learning aligned with the objectives of NEP 2020.

According to the minister, the expansion aims to integrate multiple fields of knowledge while preparing future educators with contemporary teaching, research and professional skills.

Institution founded during Narendra Modi's tenure as Gujarat CM

Vaja highlighted that the Indian Institute of Teacher Education was established in 2010, when Narendra Modi was serving as the Chief Minister of Gujarat.

The institute was created with the objective of developing a dedicated university focused on high-quality teacher education and educational leadership.

Teachers who taught PM Modi felicitated

During the foundation stone ceremony, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel also honoured teachers from BN High School, Vadnagar, who had taught Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his school years.

The felicitation recognised their contribution to education while underscoring the state's emphasis on acknowledging the role of teachers in nation-building.

Boosting teacher education infrastructure

The ₹127 crore investment is expected to strengthen IITE's academic ecosystem by providing improved teaching spaces, residential facilities and research infrastructure. State officials believe the expansion will help the university emerge as a premier institution for teacher education, multidisciplinary learning and educational research in line with India's evolving higher education reforms under the National Education Policy 2020.

In a remarkable demonstration of digital transformation in higher education, Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) has set a new benchmark by declaring BE/BTech sixth-semester examination results just five minutes after the final exam concluded.

The unprecedented achievement saw the university publish results for 60,856 engineering students at 5:35 PM, immediately after the practical examinations ended at 5:30 PM, significantly reducing the traditional evaluation waiting period.

A Digital Evaluation Milestone

According to university officials, the rapid result declaration was made possible through a fully digital evaluation system that had been meticulously planned well before the practical examinations.

Theory answer scripts had already been digitally evaluated and the marks securely locked into VTU's examination portal. During the practical examinations, which were conducted between June 18 and June 30, internal and external examiners entered practical and viva marks directly into the university's secure online system as students completed their assessments.

Once the practical examinations concluded at 5:30 PM, the software automatically integrated the pre-verified theory scores with the newly uploaded practical marks, generating final marksheets within just five minutes.

The sixth-semester examinations recorded an overall pass percentage of 76.84%.

Technology Reduces Student Anxiety

VTU said the initiative is part of its broader effort to minimise the anxiety students face while waiting for examination results, particularly when higher education admissions, internships and campus placements depend on timely scorecards.

Vice Chancellor Vidyashankar said students eagerly await their results because they directly influence academic progression and career opportunities.

He credited the achievement to careful planning, digital readiness and the coordinated efforts of the university's administrative staff, examination wing and faculty members across affiliated colleges.

Faster Than Ever Before

Registrar (Evaluation) Prof. UJ Ujwal said the university's investment in digital evaluation systems enabled the near-instant declaration of results.

He noted that the success was made possible through the collective cooperation of examiners, administrators and affiliated institutions that adhered to the streamlined digital process.

The latest achievement also marks a significant improvement over previous years. According to the university, the evaluation cycle has been shortened by 21 days compared to last year, reflecting VTU's sustained efforts to modernise examination management.

Setting a New Benchmark in Higher Education

As universities across India continue to embrace digital technologies, VTU's five-minute result declaration showcases how technology can dramatically improve administrative efficiency without compromising evaluation standards.

The model demonstrates the potential of integrated digital assessment systems to deliver faster, transparent and more student-friendly examination processes. If adopted more widely, such innovations could transform how universities across the country conduct assessments and announce results, reducing delays that often affect admissions, placements and higher education opportunities.

For thousands of engineering students, VTU's latest milestone represents more than just a technological achievement—it offers immediate clarity about their academic future, proving that with the right digital infrastructure, waiting weeks for examination results may soon become a thing of the past.

Environmentalist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk's health is reported to have worsened on the third day of his indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, which has led to a sharp political response from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which has been holding Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan to account for the activist's condition.

The development is coming as an ongoing protest calls for increased accountability in the Indian education system and the resignation of the Union Education Minister due to alleged irregularities in competitive exams.

CJP Expresses Concerns about Wangchuk's Health.

As the activist went on an indefinite fast, his blood sugar level fell to 66, which is below the normal range, on Tuesday, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said.

In response to the health update, CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka tweeted on social media that Dharmendra Pradhan would be "directly responsible" in case of any mishap to Wangchuk, further adding fuel to the political fire surrounding the protest.

The hunger strike, which started on Sunday, is now in a critical stage as the supporters have continued to gather at Jantar Mantar, expressing concern over Wangchuk's health and reiterating demands for accountability in the education sector.

Why is Sonam Wangchuk on hunger strike?

Wangchuk joined the protest after saying that education has been one of his lifelong concerns and he could not sit back and watch students raise doubts about the credibility of the examination system in India.

The protest is focused on the complaints about irregularities in competitive exams, such as those after the NEET paper leak incident. Demonstrators want more transparency, institutional accountability and reform to restore public trust in the examination process.

At the protest, Wangchuk said, “Education and environment are my issues, truth and peace is my path, justice is my destination.”

The activist also connected the movement with his long-standing environmental activism in Ladakh, saying that accountability of public institutions in both education and environmental governance is needed.

Protest Goes Past Education

The current agitation has gone beyond issues of examinations, CJP said. The movement now aims to gain broader accountability in public institutions and democratic processes, organisers said.

Wangchuk visited Rajghat with CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke prior to his indefinite fast to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. The protest officially started with a two-minute silence, representing the organisers' pledge to peaceful and democratic means of protest.

The demonstration has since attracted students, civil society members and farmer leaders, and numbers have been growing steadily in recent days.

"Never Make Anyone Bigger Than the Issue"

Though Wangchuk has become the spokesman for this movement, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke had asked the protesters to not let the campaign be about a single person. 

Speaking to supporters, Dipke urged discussion of the broader issues of educational accountability, not personalities. He said the mission of the movement was to bring about systemic change and encouraged the participants to make sure that the cause was larger than the individual leading it.

A Protest Being Closely Watched

Sonam Wangchuk's health is being closely monitored and now the focus is on the government's response to the escalating protest. The hunger strike is one of the most closely watched education related protests in the country, as demands for education reforms, accountability, and transparency keep rising.

It is yet to be seen if the agitation will result in any policy changes, but the poor health of one of the most recognisable voices of the movement has given the ongoing debate on the future of India's education system an added urgency.

In a significant change to its postgraduate (PG) admission process, Calcutta University (CU) has scrapped its centralised computer-based entrance examination for most courses after witnessing a steep decline in applications for the 2026-27 academic session. The university will now admit students to the majority of humanities programmes based on their qualifying examination marks, while selected science courses will continue to conduct department-level entrance tests.

According to university officials, CU received only around 1,400 applications for nearly 4,000 postgraduate seats across the university and its affiliated colleges in the humanities stream. With applications falling well below the available seats, authorities decided that a centralised entrance examination was no longer necessary.

Vice-Chancellor Asutosh Gosh said the university had initially planned to conduct a common admission test. However, since several departments received fewer applications than the number of seats available, individual departments would conduct entrance tests only where required.

For the science stream, CU received approximately 1,700 applications against nearly 2,900 seats, including those in affiliated colleges. As a result, the university will conduct pen-and-paper, multiple-choice entrance examinations on July 14 and 15. Unlike previous years' computer-based tests, this year's examinations will be department-managed and will last 90 minutes, giving candidates more time to complete the MCQ-based papers.

In the humanities faculty, entrance examinations will be conducted only for English and Journalism and Mass Communication, where applications marginally exceed those received in other disciplines. Admissions to all other humanities courses will be based solely on academic merit.

University officials believe the introduction of the four-year undergraduate degree programme under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has influenced students' postgraduate choices. Many students opted to exit after three years with a "Graduate with a Major" degree or preferred one-year postgraduate diploma programmes instead of committing to a two-year master's degree.

The first batch of students enrolled under the four-year degree structure is currently completing its third year, making this the first admission cycle affected by the new exit options. Officials said the unexpectedly low response rate highlights shifting student preferences and evolving higher-education pathways under the NEP framework.

The Bihar government's proposal to introduce a single unified university Act for all state-run universities has sparked strong opposition from teachers at Patna University (PU), who argue that the move could dilute the institution's historic identity, academic autonomy and reputation as one of India's oldest centres of higher education. The state government, however, maintains that the reform is essential to modernise higher education, streamline governance and remove administrative complexities arising from multiple university laws.

The proposed legislation seeks to replace the Patna University Act, 1976 and the Bihar State Universities Act, 1976, along with subsequent amendments, with a common legal framework governing all conventional state universities.

Higher Education Director N K Agrawal said the education department and the Chancellor's Secretariat have initiated the process of drafting a unified Act that incorporates contemporary governance practices followed by universities across the country.

"Different university Acts often create administrative complications. A unified legislation will simplify governance and go a long way in modernising Bihar's higher education system," Agrawal said.

However, the proposal has drawn sharp criticism from the Patna University Teachers' Association (PUTA). Association president Sheo Sagar Prasad warned that bringing PU under the same legal framework as other state universities would undermine its unique legacy and residential character.

He argued that Patna University, established in 1917, has evolved into a premier teaching and research institution whose academic culture differs significantly from that of conventional affiliating universities. According to teachers, reducing PU to the status of a standard affiliating university could weaken its research ecosystem and academic excellence.

Faculty members have also expressed concern that a unified Act could pave the way for inter-university transfers of teaching and non-teaching staff, potentially leading to arbitrary postings and disrupting the university's academic environment.

Established on October 1, 1917, Patna University is the sixth-oldest university in the Indian subcontinent. It initially functioned as an affiliating and examining university for Bihar, Odisha and Nepal before becoming a teaching-cum-residential university after Independence under the Patna University Act of 1951-52.

Besides Patna University and other conventional institutions governed by separate Acts, Bihar currently has distinct legislation for universities such as Nalanda Open University, Aryabhatta Knowledge University, Bihar Agricultural University, Bihar Engineering University, Bihar University of Health Sciences and Bihar Sports University, reflecting the state's diverse higher education framework.

The Congress party has demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and other national-level examinations, announcing a 40-day nationwide agitation that will culminate in a massive student protest in Delhi on August 9.

Kerala Higher Education Minister Roji M John and All India Youth Congress National General Secretary Lenin Prasad made the announcement while launching the Congress' 'Students' Voice' (Maanavargalin Kural) campaign, aimed at highlighting alleged examination malpractices and calling for comprehensive reforms in India's entrance examination system.

Congress alleges repeated NEET irregularities

Addressing reporters at the Chennai Press Club, the Congress leaders alleged that repeated irregularities, including question paper leaks in recent years, have severely undermined the credibility of NEET and other competitive examinations.

Roji M John claimed that the NEET examination scheduled for May 2026 had to be cancelled following an alleged paper leak. He further alleged that similar incidents had occurred during 2024 and 2025, raising concerns about the security and integrity of national entrance examinations.

Referring to earlier controversies, John said that individuals involved in the 2014 NEET paper leak were arrested but questioned the lack of public information regarding subsequent action against those responsible.

Student distress and financial burden highlighted

The Congress leaders argued that repeated disruptions have imposed a significant emotional and financial burden on students and their families.

According to John, many aspirants spend between ₹5 lakh and ₹6 lakh on coaching, study material, accommodation, and examination preparation. He further alleged that repeated examination failures and cancellations have resulted in the wastage of nearly ₹3 lakh crore in public resources.

Criticising the examination system, he said that despite India's ambitions under the Digital India programme, authorities have struggled to conduct high-stakes national examinations without controversy.

Demand for exam reforms

The Congress has called for a comprehensive overhaul of the examination system administered by the Union government.

Its key demands include:

• Resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged accountability failures.
• A transparent and secure mechanism for conducting NEET and other national-level entrance examinations.
• A predictable annual examination calendar to minimise uncertainty for students.
• Stronger safeguards to prevent paper leaks and other examination malpractices.

The party said its 40-day campaign will involve awareness programmes, student outreach initiatives, and protests across multiple states before culminating in a national demonstration in Delhi on August 9.

The latest political campaign comes amid continuing debates over the conduct of competitive examinations in India, with calls from various stakeholders for greater transparency, accountability, and stronger security measures in the country's entrance examination system.