Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said there was need to “re-imagine” and “reconstruct” the higher education system in accordance with the requirements of the 21st century while seeking participation of government as well as the private sector for quality education.
“Our universities are faced with challenges ranging from inadequate funds, teacher shortage, to falling enrollment levels, he said. A strong, accomplished and professional management body for universities coupled with adequate funding is the need of the hour”, the Vice President said after launching Krea university at his residence.
Krea University, which is based in Sri City in Andhra Pradesh, is founded by eminent personalities like former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, mathematician Manjula Bhargava, John Etchemendy of Stanford etc and is backed by industrialists such as Anand Mahindra, Kiran Majumdar Shaw, Sajjan Jindal and Anu Aga.
Further talking at the lauch, he said, “We are blessed with a demographic dividend unmatched by any other country with 65 % of our population below 35 years”. “If we are to tap their full potential, “we must fundamentally re-imagine our approach to higher education”, Naidu, added.
Addressing the issue of dearth of researchers in the country, Naidu said, “It is a cause for concern that India does not have enough high quality researchers, and that the number of those pursuing PhDs and entering research posts is declining, Naidu said.
The vice president further noted that India still lagged behind global standards. In 2018, no Indian university figured in the top 100 in the QS World University Ranking, he pointed out.
“The Universities should not be breeding grounds for resentment, frustration or discrimination but should be the hubs for innovation, a safe space for future visionaries and entrepreneurs to sharpen their skills”, he added.
Naidu said the higher education system in India still lagged behind the standards of the world’s best universities.
“The gross-enrollment rate of college-aged people in tertiary education is also a cause for grave concern. The country’s GER in higher education was 25.2% in 2016-17 compared to China’s 43.39 and USA’s 85.8%”, he said.
The objective of a university should not just be restricted to imparting quality education, but to focus on the all round development of an individual, Naidu said.
“After the invasion of India, we were under the colonial rule for long. And that has affected our growth and thinking. We have started forgetting the past. The great traditions, ethics, values which our forefathers propagated, preached and practiced. That is what is lacking in our education system also,” Naidu said.
“I remember when I was a student, we used to have a moral science class. There is only science now, no morals. That’s the worry,” Naidu said.
Expressing concerns about employability, Naidu said many graduates struggled to find work. But employability is rising, although slowly, he said.
“India has the capability and resources to be the future ‘skill capital’ of the world”, Naidu said.