Chandigarh (Balwinder Singh): The landscape of education has shifted dramatically, moving far beyond the traditional confines of textbooks and classrooms into a comprehensive digital ecosystem. Haryana Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda emphasized that safeguarding the academic records, research papers, and digital libraries of millions of students stored on institutional servers is now a paramount responsibility. Addressing a significant gathering, Dhanda warned that even a minor vulnerability in this vast network could jeopardize the integrity of an entire institution. He stressed that the contemporary challenge extends well beyond securing individual mobile devices; it demands the comprehensive future-proofing of the entire educational infrastructure.
The Minister delivered these remarks during the first national workshop on the security of individuals in the digital ecosystem, held at Shiksha Sadan in Panchkula. The event was jointly organized by the Directorate of Higher Education, Haryana, and Indira Gandhi University, Mirpur, Rewari. Expressing immense satisfaction over the record-breaking registration of more than 7,500 participants, Dhanda noted that such high engagement clearly demonstrates society’s growing awareness and serious approach toward cybersecurity.
Highlighting the ethical obligations of educational institutions, the Minister stated that when students fill out admission forms on university portals, they share sensitive personal details based on deep organizational trust. Maintaining this trust must remain the highest priority for administrators. The provincial government is actively working to develop a digital environment in Haryana that balances ease of access with stringent preventative measures against cyber threats. Dhanda firmly reasserted that no compromises would be made regarding data confidentiality and integrity at any level.
To further this commitment to secure technology, the Education Minister officially launched the formal mobile application for Indira Gandhi University, Mirpur. Specially developed by the Information Technology cell of the Directorate of Higher Education, the app serves as a fully secured digital platform. Through this application, students can safely access the latest university circulars, instant academic updates, and vital student-centric information at any time from anywhere. The Minister commended the app as an excellent example of utilizing technology to make education smarter, safer, and more user-friendly.
In his closing remarks, Dhanda announced that digital certificates would be awarded to all registered participants. He urged the attendees not to view the workshop merely as an opportunity to collect a certificate, but to step out into their communities as cyber security ambassadors. He encouraged them to actively share the insights and legal perspectives gained from cyber experts with their families, friends, and respective institutions to foster a safer digital society. The high-profile event was attended by Additional Chief Secretary of Higher Education A.K. Singh, Director of Higher Education S. Narayanan, Joint Director of Administration Neeraj Sharma, alongside several other senior officials.
