Emphasising on higher education in India, President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said that a serious upgrade in the quality of universities is required and research needs to be given utmost importance. He also added that while more universities are needed, a change in the syllabus and structure of imparting education needs to take place. The President was speaking at the convocation ceremony of Jamia Millia Islamia.
According to Mukherjee, in spite of having so many universities in the country, India doesn’t appear in the top ranks for higher education. “This is because our higher education system is outmoded and needs to be upgraded. This needs to take place in terms of infrastructure and academics. The physical infrastructure of classrooms and universities needs to be bettered. Additionally, the faculty needs to be trained and chosen with care. There should also be talent that has been brought in from abroad,” he said.
Speaking of changes in the academic sector, the President said that the syllabus of all courses needs to be changed. He elaborated, “The courses should be inter-disciplinary and made more industry-friendly. The syllabus needs to be reworked. Technology has to be harnessed to overcome handicaps like lack of competency in domain areas. The National Knowledge Network and the National Mission on Education in ICT are key technology initiatives in the education sector.”
Mukherjee felt research is a key ingredient to progress of the country. “The Mars Orbiter Mission is a testimony of our country’s growing scientific prowess, but research has been neglected in most of the higher education in the country. The universities need to become research hotbeds. Research should also be promoted in undergraduate courses by adopting enquiry-based subjects and project work,” he said. The President also placed emphasis on the need for international tie-ups. “For research it is important that internationally the work is carried out so that the outcome of the research benefits not only our country but also makes us shine all over the world,” he shared.
Also present at the event was Minister of Human Resource Development Smriti Irani. While congratulating all the graduating students, Irani said, “I hope that while the engineering students engineer their own lives, they can also take time to engineer this nation. I hope the journalists have so much power in their pen that they can make the nation grow. The lawmakers should be just and help humanity. Wherever these students go, they should carry the culture of India with them. But a special shout out for those who are stepping into the world of education. Their teaching will mould the future of nation. Teach not only for the income, but for the outcome.”
Chancellor lt General (retd) Mohammad Ahmed Zaki and Vice Chancellor Talat Ahmad were also at the event where degrees were conferred on almost 4,500 students.