TALEIGAO: Urging students to remember the contribution of the countless persons contributing to universities, President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday said that access to higher education is still a privilege in India.
“It is the countless contributions of citizens, many of whom will not even know you personally, that sustain institutions such as Goa University. As you go into the world and build your careers do remember that and do try and give back to society, in whatever manner you can or wish to. Education is empowerment. It not only helps us to know our world better, but also enables us to think of ways of changing the world for the better,” Kovind said, addressing the gathering
He said, “India has the world’s third largest education system but this also serves the world’s largest youth population,” and added that the fact that IITs are being established in hitherto under-served locations illustrates the national commitment to taking higher education to the masses.
He further said that quantity has to be complemented by quality and that is where the greatest challenge exists stating that as technology advances and societies grapple with the implications of the fourth industrial revolution, higher education has to adapt to new expectations.
“It has to be sensitive to inter-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary pathways without losing sight of the core of disciplinary knowledge. While there has been a traditional dependence on the government, one must be alive to fiscal constraints as well as to the ever-growing needs of universities,” Kovind said.
