NEW DELHI:President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday told the Vice-Chancellors of the Central Universities that they must don the role of ‘gurus’ and guide scholars and students to achieve the highest standards of academic brilliance. They should feel empowered and use the administrative and moral authority vested in them to make these universities ‘islands’ radiating excellence in their spheres of influence.
Addressing the valedictory session of the two-day conference of VCs of Central Universities at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Mukherjee asked the Vice-Chancellors to implement the recommendations of the conference in a time-bound manner and said that HRD Minister would hold a meeting in June to review the achievement of deliverables.
The Ministry of HRD (MHRD) must take immediate action to fill up vacancies of Vice Chancellors, the President said.
The recommendations included nominating a Nodal Officer to meet the varsities’ needs and activities and share good practices and experiences on the CU VCs’ Discussion Page on the University of Hyderabad website, and the appointment of Nodal Officers for international rankings within the next 30 days.
The CUs, which were yet to set up an Inspired Teachers’ Network, must do so within the next 30 days and Industry-interface cells in CUs must be completed within the next three months, it said. He invited one teacher from each Central University to a programme at Rashtrapati Bhavan.