PUDUCHERRY, Sept 25: President Pranab Mukherjee today said with the “Right to Education” (RTE) becoming a reality in the country, we have to now stress on it.
Delivering the 23rd convocation address at the Pondicherry Central University heretoday, Mr Mukherjee said a university has to be a temple of learning of humanism, tolerance and balanced reasoning and through the intellectual pursuits and knowledge sharing of scholars, accademicians and scientists, it has to contribute in the progress of our society and the nation.
Education has to create responsible innovative, analytical and compassionate citizens, he said, adding that it has to respond possitively to the change in society. Education without values is like a flower without fragnance and added that education has to impart values to the youths to make them sensitive to fellow human beings. It has to be a process that completes an individual in all respects, he said.
Mr Mukherjee said the central importance of higher education in a country’s development is well recognised and if we were to grow as a nation, the eduation system has to figure prominantly in the template of progress. He regreted that there is a dearth of quality academic institutions to prepare our next generation. Indian universities were not counted amongest the top-ranked universities in the world.
He said, “If we peek into the past, we find our ancient education system doinating the world for about eighteen hundred years beggining sixth century B C adding that Nalanda, Takshashila were the seats of world class universities.
“Let us together bring the changes required to make out present higher education system shine brightly once again,” he said.
It is gratifying to note that during the 12th plan period, we have focused on expansion, equity, excellance, governance, funding and monitoring. These aspects have to be implemented in the right spirit for the higher educatioin sector to see far reaching changes, he said, adding the assessment system has to be made more reliable and objective, he added.
(UNI)
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