NEW DELHI: Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in India are making the transition towards promoting start-ups, applied research and commercially valuable innovation while preserving the tradition of fundamental research, President Droupadi Murmu said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the concluding day of the ‘Visitor’s Conference 2023’, which was attended by 150 heads of HEIs, including Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs), National Institute of Technologies (NITs), Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs), National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs), and Central Universities among others, the president said that HEIs in India have the potential to become powerhouses of research and innovations.
She hoped that heads of HEIs would lead their institutions toward promoting innovation that can be used for industrial and commercial purposes. The President pointed out that developed countries are also known for their higher educational institutions and students from across the world want to study in those countries. She said that such a roadmap has been given in India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, following which our higher educational institutions can also become global education centres.
President Murmu also expressed confidence that India’s HEIs would become centres of world-class knowledge creation. Union Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Dharmendra Pradhan emphasized that the education fraternity is committed to building the capacity of teachers and educational institutions, empowering the Amrit Peedhi with the adoption of technology, encouraging world-class research for global good and also ensuring that India takes a quantum leap in Amrit Kaal based on the strong pillars of education.
Pradhan also highlighted that the NEP 2020 rooted in Indianness and initiatives under NEP, like National Credit Framework (NCrF) and National Research Foundation (NRF) will become a benchmark for the world, especially the global south.
Citing Takshashila and Nalanda as international education hubs from ancient times, the minister that it is time to resurrect that legacy. At the event, it was discussed that while many institutions have taken steps towards internationalisation, there is a need of increasing academic collaboration with top universities in the world and attracting foreign students to study in India.
“Our institutions need to enhance our research capabilities further and create a vibrant ecosystem of innovation and incubation that contributes towards a self-reliant nation,” said a statement issued by the ministry. Pradhan at the event also emphasized that high-quality education can only be ensured by high-quality teaching which will be possible when institutions handhold and mentor each other through collective effort.