NEW DELHI: The govt’s aim is to raise gross enrolment ratio (GER) in higher education to 50% by 2035 and universities and colleges must adopt a students-first approach as students are the core of national strength, education minister Dharmendra Pradhan said while inaugurating two-day vice-chancellors’ conference of central universities in Gujarat’s Kevadia on Thursday.The conference will review five years of the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and chalk out a strategy for aligning higher education institutions with the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’. Organised by the education ministry in collaboration with the Central University of Gujarat, the meeting brought together over 50 vice-chancellors to assess institutional progress and discuss reforms for the next phase.Pradhan said the ‘panch sankalpa (five resolutions)’ of the NEP-2020 would serve as the guiding framework for universities in creating an inclusive, and globally competitive higher education ecosystem. The minister urged universities to prepare strategy papers for NEP-2020 implementation, focusing on multidisciplinary curricula, integrating Indian knowledge systems, building digital skilling initiatives, and fostering innovation ecosystems.