BENGALURU: President Droupadi Murmu said the number of Indian institutions in international rankings must rise for India to become an educational superpower. Speaking at the inauguration of the recently established St Joseph’s University, she said universities must help train students in a multi-dimensional way, and respond to their aspirations. “Many Indian institutions have earned a place in international rankings, but their numbers are very small. It should be the aim of every Indian educational institution to become a world-class centre of learning. I am sure that if we take the right steps now, our country will emerge as a knowledge superpower,” she said.
The 140-year-old St Joseph’s University was upgraded under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) scheme, with President Murmu inaugurating the university on Tuesday. “The university has earned a good reputation by setting high academic standards and contributing significantly to its co-curricular activities. Education is the most important means for social transformation. Our universities have to play the role of change agents, it is the responsibility of educational institutions to train and equip students in such a way that they are prepared for the demands of the future. Students have to be made future-ready,” the President said.
She said that universities must also accommodate students’ aspirations, instead of pursuing methods of rote learning in education. “Today’s younger population is very aspirational, and universities need to respond to their diverse aspirations. Education should be more about critical thinking over rote learning. There are many opportunities being given out in the world, but the skills needed are multi-dimensional, working and studying must also be multi-dimensional in nature,” she said.
She also pointed out that the current movement of science and technology in India is vital for its national development, and to help ensure the well-being of people, especially those coming from the lower strata of society.