New Delhi: While addressing a conference of Vice-Chancellors of central Universities, Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India, said that India is witnessing a decline in standards of quality of higher education. The trend needs to reversed, he advised. This conference was held in the national capital, recently.
Speaking to the members, he added that this declining trend can be changed but for that a collective wisdom is required. He also said that universities are custodian of culture, thus, they should not only provide knowledge and skills, but also inculcate values of humanity and virtue to its students. The access to knowledge was fundamental to the country's bid to empower its people, as per him.
Studying the trends, he pointed out that the enrolment of the disadvantaged sections of the country’s population should be one of the prime concerns among the education sector. He went on further to point out that, in the case of Scheduled Tribe population, the gross enrolment ratio in higher education is only half of the national average. To increase this ratio, the President opined that availability of avenues that impart higher education, near the residential areas of such people is must.
In the meeting it also came through that besides being a powerful tool for the realization of the nation's technological and economic advancement, higher education had to fulfill the aspirations of the youth, who are restless and looking for directions. The president is a “Visitor” to these central universities. APJ Abdul Kalam was the last President of India, who called a similar conference in 2003.
