Planning and development department principal secretary Vijoy Prakash on Wednesday said education institutions should tailor their syllabus to suit development plans looking ahead.

Prakash was addressing the inaugural function as the chief guest of a two-day symposium, “Bihar Vision 2020: Industry-academia interface”, at Birla Institute of Technology, Patna.

“There is a serious gap between industries and educational institutions. This is the reason why institutions are unable to meet the demands of the industries,” he said.

In the seminar, academics and industry experts would discuss on ways to bridge the gap between industries and academics.

Indira Gandhi National Open University school of management studies director Nawal Kishore said industry and academia must join hands for the growth of the state and the country. Kishore emphasised on the demand of industries in soft skills, operational skills and problem-solving skills.

BIT-Patna director S.L. Gupta said: “Many institutions have outdated syllabus. This is reason why when students graduate and get jobs, they fail to perform well in their jobs.”

He said: “The syllabus of engineering and management institutions should be framed in such a way that it fits the industries so that students don’t face difficulties when they enter the job market.”

The experts also gave valuable tips on how to focus on extra-curricular activities such as improving soft skills.

Vinay Singh from Master School of Management and an alumnus of Patna Science College focused on other skils that students should have beside their degrees.

The students in the audience were very happy with the presentations on the first day.

Nawaz Akhtar, a first-year MBA student, said: “Such symposiums are of great help to us. The speakers explained what the market requires and in which areas we have to strengthen ourselves.”