The Gujarat Technological University (GTU) has rolled out sweeping academic reforms, including awarding formal diplomas, certificates, and degrees to serving and retired Indian Army soldiers based on their technical expertise.
Soldiers trained in trades like artillery, vehicle maintenance, and electrical or mechanical work often struggle for jobs after service due to the lack of formal qualifications. Acting on a proposal from the Military Engineering School, Vadodara, GTU formed a committee to assess soldiers’ technical proficiency and grant them recognised academic credentials.
The academic council also approved stricter measures against exam malpractice. For the first time in 13 years, punishment rules have been revised—minor irregularities such as torn answer sheets will now invite only a Level-1 penalty instead of Level-3. The revised rules also expand to cover devices like Bluetooth gadgets, cameras, microsensors, and smartwatches.
Dummy candidates will now face FIRs, and GTU will formally request their parent universities to cancel or debar them. The council has further mandated Architecture Council standards, revised ME exam patterns from Summer 2026, and introduced a two-credit social internship from Semester 4 onwards.
In a landmark decision, GTU annulled the PhD degree of suspended staffer Keyur Shah over his research being published in a clone journal, marking the first-ever degree cancellation in the university’s history.