Chief Secretary Sentiyanger Imchen has called for a shift in Nagaland’s higher education system towards emerging disciplines, industry-relevant courses and practical skills, citing a widening gap between academic qualifications and the requirements of the job market.
Delivering the keynote address at a one-day consultative seminar on “Emerging Trends: Introduction and Realising Potential” on October 30, Imchen said education and educational institutions were undergoing rapid transformation, with technology and changing economic demands reshaping the sector at a pace not seen since the Industrial Revolution.
The seminar was organised by the Department of Higher and Technical Education at the Conference Hall of the Department of Information Technology and Communication.
Imchen identified rapid technological disruption, climate change, demographic shifts and the green transition as major global forces driving structural changes in higher and technical education. He noted that premier Indian institutions, including IITs, NITs and IIMs, were also preparing graduates for high-growth technical fields.
Bridging the gap between education and employment
The Chief Secretary said education systems had traditionally maintained a hierarchy in which university-bound academic streams were considered prestigious, while vocational education leading to trades was treated as secondary.
This emphasis, he observed, had created a paradox where many university graduates possessed theoretical knowledge but remained unemployed due to a lack of practical skills required by employers.
He described this disconnect between academic learning and workplace requirements as the skills gap, adding that Nagaland was facing a similar situation.
On emerging courses in higher education institutions (HEIs), Imchen identified three major trends: technology-driven disciplines, the green and sustainability transition, and interdisciplinary and applied professional courses.
He said technology-oriented programmes such as B.Tech., M.Tech. and Ph.D. courses in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DS&AI), cybersecurity, digital and forensic sciences, FinTech and digital marketing were expanding across universities and specialised institutions. Programmes in energy science, renewable energy and other sustainability-related fields were also gaining prominence in response to industry requirements and the transition towards a green economy.
According to him, these developments indicated that leading Indian institutions were responding to global labour-market shifts by incorporating emerging disciplines into formal academic structures. Such fields were increasingly becoming mainstream components of higher education, strengthening the country’s capacity to address changing skill requirements, technological advancements and employment opportunities.
Explaining the relationship between education and the labour market, Imchen said it was a dynamic supply-and-demand relationship in which educational institutions developed human capital, while the economy determined how those skills were valued, absorbed and rewarded. Education alone, he cautioned, did not automatically guarantee employment, as a disconnect often existed between what institutions produced and what industries required.
Citing the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, he said global labour-market demand was projected to increasingly converge around digital technologies, artificial intelligence, automation and sustainability-oriented skills by 2030. These included AI specialists, machine learning engineers, data analysts, big data specialists, cybersecurity professionals, information security analysts and network specialists.
Nagaland’s unemployment and skills gap
Turning to the state’s employment situation, Imchen said Nagaland had traditionally placed a high premium on education, with parents often taking loans to educate their children in the hope of securing government employment.
However, he said government jobs had become saturated. Recruitment into State Government services through the Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB) and Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) stood at 845 persons in 2024 and 589 in 2025, highlighting the limited availability of government employment relative to the potential job-seeking population.
Referring to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), March 2026, he said the unemployment rate among those aged 15–59 was 3.5% nationally, compared to 7.3% in Nagaland. Youth unemployment in the 15–29 age group stood at 9.9% nationally, against 17.5% in the state.
He also cited the report Unemployment, Skill and Migration in Nagaland 2025, which found that 92% of Nagaland’s residents lacked formal vocational or technical education, while 78% of workers had no prior work experience.
Imchen said the figures pointed to a critical gap between theoretical academic learning and practical job-market readiness.
Universities urged to introduce emerging disciplines
On the way forward, Imchen welcomed Nagaland University’s initiative to incorporate AI components into postgraduate and PhD programmes across several departments, with implementation proposed from the 2026–2027 academic session. He urged private universities, colleges and technical institutes in the state to follow suit and integrate emerging disciplines into their curricula.
He also called on Nagaland University and other higher education institutions to establish specialised departments and introduce industry-relevant programmes. Faculty shortages and infrastructure constraints, he said, should not become obstacles, suggesting faculty-sharing arrangements, institutional collaborations, industry partnerships and hybrid learning as possible ways to facilitate implementation.
Expressing hope that the seminar would catalyse a paradigm shift in the state’s education system, Imchen urged representatives from universities, colleges and polytechnics to translate awareness into concrete institutional action.
He called for a review of existing curricula, introduction of future-oriented and industry-aligned programmes, and greater emphasis on practical learning, research, innovation and entrepreneurship.
NU highlights AI integration and skill-based courses
In her welcome address, Secretary of Higher and Technical Education Sarita Yadav stressed the need for educational institutions to keep pace with emerging technologies, changing industry requirements and evolving career opportunities.
She highlighted the importance of informed academic choices and creating awareness among students about future career prospects. Describing the seminar as a platform for sharing knowledge and exchanging ideas, she encouraged participants to apply the insights gained during the discussions in their respective institutions.
Delivering the special address, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Nagaland University’s Medziphema Campus, Prof Dipak Sinha, congratulated the state government for organising the programme and emphasised the importance of introducing emerging courses in higher education institutions.
He said emerging courses did not necessarily have to be entirely new programmes, but could also involve updating existing curricula to respond to changing technology and market demands. Highlighting the relevance of artificial intelligence, he stressed that AI should be incorporated across disciplines rather than restricted to computer science.
Sinha informed that Nagaland University had begun introducing AI-related courses and suggested a phased approach through short-term certificate programmes in areas with employment potential.
He also encouraged institutions to make use of the SWAYAM online learning platform. Around 70 undergraduate and 30 to 35 postgraduate students of Nagaland University, he said, had completed courses through the platform and transferred the credits to their academic records.
Highlighting opportunities in agriculture and allied sectors, he informed that the university had approved five agriculture-related skill enhancement courses. He also suggested faculty training programmes to help general colleges introduce such courses.
Stressing the importance of career guidance, practical learning and entrepreneurship, Sinha called for greater industry exposure and institutional collaboration through the sharing of expertise and resources. He also encouraged students to explore international scholarships and fellowships.
He concluded by emphasising that emerging courses must be supported by practical training and career guidance to prepare students for future employment opportunities.
Technical sessions cover emerging fields
The seminar also featured technical sessions on a range of emerging disciplines.
Assistant Professor Dr M Prakash spoke on green energy, renewable and sustainable energy, while Prof Sinha addressed agriculture, veterinary sciences and livestock.
Jt. Director of the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), Er Morimenba, spoke on artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things, smart technologies, cybersecurity, semiconductors and data science engineering.
Deputy Director of Health and Family Welfare Dr S Yingnei Konyak delivered a session on medical science technologies, while Principal of the State College of Teacher Education (SCTE), Dr Alemla Longkumer, spoke on emerging pedagogies in arts and commerce.
The programme concluded with remarks and an action plan by the Additional Secretary and Ex-Officio Director of the Department of Higher Education.