India’s President Pranab Mukherjee expressed his disappointment over the current state of India’s academic institutions during the 23rd annual convocation of Pondicherry University. He regretted the shortage of high quality academic institutions which left India off the list of the world’s top 200 university ranking.
According to Mukherjee, India’s higher education institutions were the best in the world for 1,800 years–from the 6th century BC to the 12th century AD. He said “I don’t find any reason why India cannot go back to dominating the higher education scene. We have talent, capacity and dedicated teachers who can inspire and who can rekindle the interests in the minds of students. All these elements have to be properly coordinated and integrated to have a high ranking and occupy our rightful place in academic excellence.”
Emphasizing the importance of adapting with worldwide development, Mukherjee said India’s 12th Five Year Plan for economic growth will focus on expanding and funding the education sector. India’s Right to Education Act of 2009, which gives free compulsory education to all children ages 6-14, was also marked as a success for the country, but now the efforts must be focused on “imparting the right education.”
According to Mukherjee, “education has to create responsible, innovative, analytical and compassionate citizens. It has to respond positively to the change in society” and that a university should be a “temple of learning, humanism, tolerance and balanced reasoning.”
There are currently 659 higher educational institutions and 33,000 colleges in India. 18 million students are enrolled in higher education and is expected to reach 29 million by the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan.
The President continued to emphasize that achieving higher standards of teaching and research will expand intellectual possibilities and advance developing technologies. These innovations should in turn support the quality of life in the country’s poorest areas.
Mukherjee concluded by stressing to the university audience “as students, you have had the benefit of progressive education system. As you now enter a stage where you can give back to the society, make your contributions and make it count. India is an aspiring nation. We can reach the zenith but it requires the sacrifices of all. It is your duty to take our country forward. Do all that is necessary to realize our country’s goal.”
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Written by Rachel Pozivenec