Call to improve higher educational institutions

To make the country a global centre for education

January 23, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 05:35 am IST - DINDIGUL:

VIT Chancellor G. Viswanathan (right) handing over degree certificate to a studentat Gandhigram Rural Institute in Gandhigram on Thursday. Renana Jhabvala, Chancellor, GRI, second from right, looks on.— PHOTO: G. KARTHIKEYAN.

VIT Chancellor G. Viswanathan (right) handing over degree certificate to a studentat Gandhigram Rural Institute in Gandhigram on Thursday. Renana Jhabvala, Chancellor, GRI, second from right, looks on.— PHOTO: G. KARTHIKEYAN.

The State and Central governments should frame right policies to improve higher educational institutions to global standard. Change in policies and allocation of six per cent of GDP for higher education will make the country a global centre for education, according to VIT University Chancellor G. Viswanathan.

Delivering the convocation address at the Gandhigram Rural Institute here on Thursday, he said the country required five lakh doctors but total medical seats available were 50,000 only. Higher educational institutions were lacking in research activities. The gross enrolment ratio in developed countries was 60 and 100 per cent and it was 20 per cent in India.

At present, our students had been spending Rs.50,000 crore to Rs.60,000 crore a year to study abroad. About 45 lakhs students have been going abroad and it will double in 2025. At the same time, even premiere institutions did not encourage foreign students to study in our country and invite foreign faculties for work, the Chancellor said.

“The present allocation for higher education was less than one per cent of GDP, but we talked about spending 4 per cent of GDP.”

“Introducing high quality educational institutes will scale down forex drain and also bring more foreign students to India. Joint efforts by State and Central government and private educational institutions will bring about a massive change,” said Mr. Viswanathan.

If we framed right policies, we could make the nation a powerful knowledge centre in 2025, he suggested.

Only young educated personnel could wipe out corruption and tax evasion from this country. Tax evasion was a national disease. Only two per cent of lawyers, six per cent of chartered accountants and 40 per cent of doctors had been paying income tax. The present generation should take the lead in correcting the erring mechanism, the Chancellor said.

Brazil spent 15 per cent of its income on social sector to bring down inequality. Not even five per cent was spent in India, he said, adding that if this trend continued, democracy would die soon. Discipline was essential to increase productivity and preserve democracy, Mr. Viswanathan added.

He announced that undergraduate and postgraduate toppers will be honoured with VIT gold medal from the next academic year.

GRI Chancellor Renana Jhabvala said the GRI would strive to build knowledge and skills of students and teachers.

Vice-Chancellor S. Natarajan said degrees and diplomas were given to 1,057 students. The best extension worker award was given to field assistant S. Narasimhan.

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