* Young intellectuals have significant role to play: CM
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Sept 1: Stating that Higher Education in India was facing great challenges, the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee today said that quality education needs to be accorded highest priority for constant excellence in the changing world.
He also stressed that the universities need to become drivers of innovation and their focus should be on collaborative relationships with industry and the Government.
“Entrepreneurial activities in universities could take various forms such as contract research, consultancy, patenting, licensing, spin outs, start-ups and incubating companies,” he advised while addressing in the 14th Convocation of Jammu University, here today.
Maintaining that the universities should create right environment for promoting entrepreneurship amongst students as well as academicians, the President pointed out that the enterprise incubation as a part of the academia-industry linkage was well recognized the world over while in India, it was still at a nascent stage.
At the same time, Mr Mukherjee also drew attention towards the great challenges being faced by higher education in India. “In our country, we have 723 universities, more than 35 thousand colleges, a number of IITs, Institutes of Managements, etc but none of these is ranked among top 200 institutions of the world,” he lamented and pointed that no Indian university produced a Nobel laureate after C V Raman in 1930.
“While working outside Indian universities, our people have got Nobel prizes, which means we have bright students but not the quality education,” he said and suggested that efforts should be made to excel in a discipline if not as a whole.
“Quality upgradation of state-level institutions, which account for 96 percent of the higher education capacity, needs to be accorded high priority and the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) is an important initiative in this direction,” he added.
Noting that another important focus area is the role of innovation in higher education, Mukherjee said several policy initiatives have been taken in this area and they need to be implemented effectively to revitalize and boost the higher education framework.
“One concept that has attracted attention and will mark a paradigm shift in higher education is that of the Meta Universities, where education institutes share learning resources with different universities by using latest technologies available in order to enable students to benefit from learning resources available in different institutions,” he said.
The President stressed that the students must be given complete flexibility and be benefited by the expertise and infrastructure available in other universities and institutions of higher learning. “This kind of flexibility will create an environment conducive to innovation and promote inter-disciplinary approaches. It will also expand access while making the best use of technology,” he added.
Acknowledging that the Jammu and Kashmir was emerging as a knowledge hub in the country with nine universities and more than 300 affiliated colleges, Mr Mukherjee suggested that all these institutions would benefit by collaborating in teaching and research and establishing common research facilities.
He also asked the University of Jammu to move towards establishing research clusters to enable scholars and faculty members to explore emerging research areas, especially related to local and regional needs and to collaborate with industry and research organizations. “Some of the major thrust areas would be Horticulture, Floriculture, Soil dynamics, Seismology, Organic farming, Tourism, Precious gems and Handicrafts,” he explained.
Earlier, the J&K Governor N N Vohra, who is also Chancellor of the Jammu University, encouraged the faculty members to act as motivators and counsellors in the process of giving guidance and inspiration to students and focus on value based education and character building for making them good citizens.
“In a knowledge based society, it is imperative for faculty members to undertake and promote collaborative research that helps in solving regional and national issues,” he said.
Mr Vohra also lauded the achievers, especially women for excellent results. “After you have seen the award ceremony, the Ph D degrees, medals being awarded to students by the President, Chief Minister and myself, I am sure that not many among us would differ that this University be re-named as Jammu ‘women’ University,” he remarked in lighter vein.
Out of 133 toppers who were awarded degrees and medals at the Convocation, 84 were women and only 49 male toppers.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is Pro-Chancellor of JU and was also present in the Convocation, said that the universities and young intellectuals have a crucial role in bringing about change to ensure the holistic development of society.
Describing universities as hardware while students as software, he said that both exist in a symbiotic relationship and find sustenance and nourishment from each other. “No one is immune from the winds of change”, he said adding that those who do not master this change will be severely disadvantaged.
Omar said that an institutional matrix complemented by a dynamic policy design and process especially in the domain of education is the prelude to the transformation that is required. “It is these fine traditions and legacies that we need to build upon and use as catalysts for a more vigorous transformation that keep us for ahead of the learning curve and change,” he said elaborating that this can happen once the intellectual and others hold hands together and master the change and transformation.
“In this scheme, the young generation and young intellectuals have a significant role to play which is full of responsibilities and calls for co-evolution of institutions, student community and the intellectual fraternity in a direction that is salubrious and healthy,” he said and added that responsibility greatly lies on young scholars and students.
Maintaining that students equipped with knowledge and understandings have to take on the world with confidence and determination, Omar wished the passing out students all success in life ahead and advised them to face all challenges and difficulties with bravely and confidently.
“The degrees which have been the result of hard work, dedication and scholarly endeavours, validate your intellectual capacities, capabilities and academic credentials and integrity. This, however, is just the beginning. The more significant challenges lie ahead. Armed and equipped with knowledge, the ability to think critically and clearly, and new skill sets, you will now find yourselves centre stage in a world transformed,” he said.
The President, who reached here on a two-day visit, was also briefed by Governor N N Vohra regarding all important issues relating to the State.
The Governor particularly briefed the President about the obtaining and emerging internal and external security situation, status of various important Socio-economic development schemes and programmes, issues of governance and the challenges facing the education and health sectors.
Mr Vohra also informed the President about issues relating to higher education and functioning of the Universities in the State.
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