Education needs to be accessible, affordable: President
AHMEDABAD: Expressing concern over the state of higher education in India, President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said there was a need to increase access and make education affordable.
"The higher education sector in India faces numerous challenges today. On the one hand, there is need for increasing access and making education affordable. On the other, there is need to ensure quality and pursue excellence," he said at the 62nd convocation of Gujarat Vidyapeeth in Ahmedabad.
"Many meritorious students leave the shores of our country and study abroad due to lack of institutes in India conforming to high standards of education. Not many international students come to India for higher studies either," the President said.
Quoting a TOI report on November 24, Mukherjee said, "It is a worrying sign that the number of students from seven out of the top eight countries in this respect - the US, Germany, France, South Korea, Australia, China and Singapore -- has dipped 73% in 2014. We must do all at our end to reverse this trend and make India emerge as a quality and affordable education destination for students from outside."
He added, "The development challenges faced by our country call for an inspired response from the higher education system. Quality and relevant research can help tide over our socio-economic problems."
Calling for skill development initiates on a massive scale, the President said, "Demographic dividend can occur only if greater number of competent and skilled professionals is produced by our higher educational and technical institutions. For that, cooperation among our institutes is necessary."
Mukherjee said despite growing urbanization, 68% of the country's population still resided in rural areas. "Intervention in food security, education, skill development, employment, technology dissemination, health and nutrition, housing, drinking water and sanitation will go a long way to uplift the quality of rural life and address poverty concerns," he added.
He said initiatives directed at "rural development" would create self-reliant villages and achieve quality as well as economic and environmental sustainability. "This, according to me, will lead to Samarth Bharat," he said.
Later in the day, he visited Somnath temple and inaugurated the Diu festival in the small island.
"The higher education sector in India faces numerous challenges today. On the one hand, there is need for increasing access and making education affordable. On the other, there is need to ensure quality and pursue excellence," he said at the 62nd convocation of Gujarat Vidyapeeth in Ahmedabad.
"Many meritorious students leave the shores of our country and study abroad due to lack of institutes in India conforming to high standards of education. Not many international students come to India for higher studies either," the President said.
Quoting a TOI report on November 24, Mukherjee said, "It is a worrying sign that the number of students from seven out of the top eight countries in this respect - the US, Germany, France, South Korea, Australia, China and Singapore -- has dipped 73% in 2014. We must do all at our end to reverse this trend and make India emerge as a quality and affordable education destination for students from outside."
He added, "The development challenges faced by our country call for an inspired response from the higher education system. Quality and relevant research can help tide over our socio-economic problems."
Calling for skill development initiates on a massive scale, the President said, "Demographic dividend can occur only if greater number of competent and skilled professionals is produced by our higher educational and technical institutions. For that, cooperation among our institutes is necessary."
Mukherjee said despite growing urbanization, 68% of the country's population still resided in rural areas. "Intervention in food security, education, skill development, employment, technology dissemination, health and nutrition, housing, drinking water and sanitation will go a long way to uplift the quality of rural life and address poverty concerns," he added.
He said initiatives directed at "rural development" would create self-reliant villages and achieve quality as well as economic and environmental sustainability. "This, according to me, will lead to Samarth Bharat," he said.
Later in the day, he visited Somnath temple and inaugurated the Diu festival in the small island.
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