Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday expressed concern about the quality of higher education; pointing out that even Indian premier institutions do not figure among the best in the world. Addressing the Diamond Jubilee function of the University Grants Commission (UGC) in New Delhi, he urged all stakeholders in the higher education system to urgently consider issues of quality.
Another issue the premier flagged as an area of concern pertained to shortage of faculty; more so since the problem was likely to become even more acute with the expansion that is planned in the coming years. Further, according to him, the university system needs to dwell more on research, and enhancing the number and quality of doctoral programmes.
Pointing out that inter-disciplinary perspectives are the cornerstone of present-day research, Dr. Singh said this should become a part of the culture of Indian universities. “We must reverse today’s situation where individual departments largely operate as islands, and there should be greater focus on problems that engage the faculty in inter-disciplinary research.’’
Similarly, he stressed the need for strengthening the university-industry interface to give a fillip to Research and Development. Of the view that this would be beneficial to both the university system and the industry, he asked academics to make a detailed study of how this interface works in ot
via PM expresses concern about quality of higher education – The Hindu.
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