President Pranab Mujherjee clarified that the univesities of the country are required to compete globally for research-ranking to become world-class. With rising emphasis on nation-building through institution-building, he said, “we are now increasingly being called upon to think about the role of universities in the larger global context”.
The president graced the stage with his talk at the launch of a book titled ‘Future of Indian Universities: Comparative and International Perspectives’, with the prestigious presence of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen. The Nobel winner launched the book and it was edited by O P Jindal Global University (JGU) Vice-Chancellor C Raj Kumar.
Mukherjee advocated, “The universities of today are required to compete globally for research-ranking to help build world-class universities,” explaining that “let us not forget the difference between world-class and world-minded” as the future universities work up for global competition to book their seats in highest institutional rankings.
Emphasizing that the needs, presently, have become much more complex, parallel to the post-independence emphasis on nation-building through institution-building, the President said, “we are now increasingly being called upon to think about the role of universities in the larger global context of an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world.”
The Nobel laureate also contributed some words at the event. He emphasized on the need for freedom and autonomy of higher educational institutions in India. “We need to think about why India does not rank among the top 200 universities in the world. The difference between Indian universities and those in other countries is that they are autonomous and free from political policies and obstacles. The mindset in this country needs to change to bring excellence and freedom in the field of education,” Sen said.
Present at the book launch, Virander S Chauhan, the acting Chairman of University Grants Commission also contributed saying that the quality of higher education in India has to be viewed not just by students, but by parents and teachers as well. “Indian universities have tremendous potential and need to accelerate their pace. This can only happen if we have good leadership. The public sector needs a huge transformation in the field of higher education, and private universities need to be a model for quality and excellence,” he offered.
The book raises questions regarding the quality and excellence of higher education in India and is a collaborative effort of scholars.
The one to compile the book, Professor Kumar voted that as the day is today, universities are compelled to rethink their roles in the society and the world at large. He said, “At a time when the state of universities and their value to the larger society is being increasingly debated, universities are compelled to rethink their roles and the role of the higher education system.”
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