BHUBANESWAR: Chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC) Prof Ved Prakash on Thursday said research universities are need of the hour in the country. He, however, opposed the idea of compartmentalisation of the disciplines.
“New knowledge is always found at the intersection of disciplines. We need universities that are able to produce most scientific and talented workforce,” he said addressing a seminar on ‘Role of Research on Massification of Quality Higher Education’ at KIIT University.
Stating that future of higher education lies in quality and research, he said, the mandate of research universities is to generate new knowledge and there is a need to transform our institutions from a learning system to knowledge system.
Prakash advised universities to update their curriculum on an annual basis to prepare the students. The universities and institutions of higher education must hold annual workshops to ensure this lest they may lag behind, he said.
The UGC chief said India has achieved ‘massification of higher education’ with gross enrolment rate reaching 23 per cent. Although higher education is a State responsibility, India has many examples of private initiatives in higher education such as Banaras Hindu University, Shantiniketan and Aligarh Muslim University.
Prakash said role of teachers will continue to be important despite the current trend towards online education. “A university stands for humanism, for tolerance, for reason, for the adventure of ideas and for the search for truth,” he added.
The UGC Chairman was accompanied by Director, Bureau of Parliamentary Studies and Training Dr Shimla. Vice-Chancellor of KIIT University Prof PP Mathur and Registrar Sasmita Samanta also spoke on the occasion.