Innovative changes needed in higher education system: President Pranab Mukherjee

SHILLONG: Maintaining that delivery of higher education in India cannot be allowed to continue in a "routine fashion", President Pranab Mukherjee today said there has to be an "elevated level of urgency" among administrators and academicians to introduce innovative changes.


He also regretted that no Indian university has found place in the top 200 global ranking list and said they have to be " careful" in positioning themselves among the top institutions in the world.

The President emphasised on better coordination among various departments of the universities to achieve excellence and help them to be among the best in the world.

"Our academic syllabus is not upto the highest standards as recognised by world universities. We are not emphasising on ranking ourselves. We have to be careful," the President said while addressing the convocation function of the North Eastern Hill University.

He inaugurated an innovation club on the occasion which seeks to facilitate in-house research activities in various disciplines.

Mukherjee said Indian universities have to foster greater linkages with international universities for student and teacher exchange programmes.

He also stressed on improving facilities in the various departments of the universities and said though Nobel laureates like Amartya Sen, P V Chandrasekhar and Hargobind Khurana passed out from Indian universities, they won their respective Nobel prizes after going abroad.

The President suggested fostering endowment culture in the campuses, saying most of the top-league universities like Harvard and Cambridge excelled over the centuries largely because of the endowment received.

He said the delivery of higher education in India cannot be allowed to continue in a "routine fashion any longer".

There has to be an elevated level of urgency among administrators and academicians to introduce innovative changes in the institutions. "Core problem have to be addressed expeditiously and a culture of excellence has to be promoted by allowing adequate flexibility in different aspects of academic management," the President said.

Calling upon the institutes to retain meritorious students and give enhanced focus on research activities, the President stressed that universities get international exposure in terms of having visiting professors from abroad and student and faculty exchange programme.