Reforms needed in indian higher education: PM
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Admitting that the higher education system needs comprehensive reforms, the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh said that the National Knowledge Commission should travel across the country with useful ideas to build a consensus.
In our public debate, the real challenge is to change mindsets and seek creative means of building a knowledge-based society and economy, he said releasing the first annual report of the commission at his residence here. Dr Singh said that the commissions reports have many useful ideas for reforming higher education. These are all ideas that merit serious discussion. I would urge the commission to take these ideas across the country and build consensus, he said. Dr Singh said that the recommendations on vocational education merit immediate attention, given their relevance for expanding the employment potential of the economy. The commissions chairman, Dr Sam Pitroda said that a meaningful reform of the system, with a long-term perspective, was both complex and difficult. The commission, a pet project of the Prime Minister, gave nine sets of recommendations, six of them directly dealing with access. The recommendations of the commission are really a call to action. It is time to act here and now, Dr Pitroda said in his foreword to the Report to the Nation 2006. The function was attended by the Science and Technology Minister, Mr Kapil Sibal, Mr Rahul Gandhi, MP, and several luminaries from the education field. The Prime Minister said the government looks forward to commissions recommendations in the coming year, particularly on reforming schools, promoting research, meeting the knowledge needs of agriculture and small and medium enterprises and facilitating innovation and entrepreneurship. For too long the country viewed the size of its population as an economic and social liability, he said adding however, educated, skilled, healthy and empowered people were an asset. The challenge before us is to ensure that each and every citizen of India is an asset, he said. Dr Singh, who launched two portals on water and energy on the occasion, said these portals were a good example of harnessing information technology to address complex, multi-stakeholder problems. We are a water-rich country. The issue is not one of absolute scarcity, but one of management. We need to improve water management as it holds the key to addressing our water problems, he said. Dr Pitroda said the commission would come up with its recommendations on other topics like bringing more students for mathematics and science, PhDs, think tanks, nanotechnology, biotechnology, new methods of learning and panchayat raj institututions. Source: Navhind Times More |
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