Postgraduate classrooms across Telangana are witnessing an alarming decline in student numbers, with seats remaining unfilled and many courses struggling to attract even half of their intake year after year. According to data from the Telangana Common Post Graduate Entrance Test (TG CPGET-2025), out of 48,017 seats, only 44.08% have been filled.

Worried by this steep drop, the Telangana Council of Higher Education (TGCHE) is now preparing for a major overhaul. From the 2026–27 academic year, the council plans to revamp postgraduate curricula to match industry demands and boost students’ employability.

The steady decline in PG enrolment, academicians point out, stems largely from waning interest in traditional postgraduate courses such as Master of Arts and Master of Science, which no longer ensure stable employment opportunities.

Many students now prefer to take up jobs soon after completing their undergraduate studies instead of pursuing conventional master’s degrees. Another major factor, they say, is the outdated curriculum, which has failed to incorporate new technologies or interdisciplinary approaches, leaving it disconnected from the realities of today’s job market and discouraging student participation.

As per the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), PG enrollment in Telangana fell from 1,64,576 students in 2017–18 to 1,48,039 in 2019–20, before showing slight recovery to 1,62,908 in 2021–22. Yet, by 2023–24 and 2024–25, more than half the seats in PG programmes remained vacant after CPGET admissions. Courses such as History, English, Mathematics, Commerce, and Chemistry continue to struggle with poor intake, with the same syllabus for nearly two decades.

To bridge this widening gap between academia and industry, TGCHE has decided to revise the curriculum and even scrap PG courses that are no longer relevant.

Speaking to TNIE, Prof V Balakista Reddy, chairman, TGCHE, said, “The council has planned to revamp all PG courses in the upcoming academic year and a similar curriculum revision has been done to undergraduate courses.”

“We have planned to conduct academic audits to assess course availability and relevance of the course and which course would fetch better job opportunities and we will also see whether there is a need to introduce new courses or not and very soon the audit will begin,” he added.

[Article by Meghna Nath of The New Indian Express]