Universities should be role model in creating and executing innovative ideas: Governor

Guwahati, July 5 (HS): Assam Governor Prof. Jagdish Mukhi observed that the higher education of a state should be a potential tool in discussing, debating, articulating and executing the realm of ideas and their possibilities in various workable fields. He also called upon the Vice Chancellors  (VCs) to take a lead in creating framework for raising the standard of higher education in the state.

Addressing the newly appointed VCs at an induction programme held at Raj Bhavan today for the new VCs in the state, Prof. Mukhi said that the VCs should play an important role for the universities to become the role model in creating and executing innovative ideas and become an epicentre for nurturing pool of human resources which are responsible for the growth of the country.

The Governor also emphasized that a society is as good as the quality of intellectuals it produces. And a university should own a responsibility in producing intellectuals by being a place of light, liberty and learning. The universities should complement sustainable development and improvement of economy as a whole and should also provide opportunities to individuals to achieve their aspirations while ensuring that a value-based society is forged.

Prof. Mukhi said that though the universities in Assam are putting in their best possible contributions to the progress of higher education in State, they have to re-configure the whole curriculum and be regulated more towards skill development without compromising the philosophy of the subjects. He also said that the universities should contribute significantly towards the pursuit of academic excellence and to the progress of Assam. He, however, pointed out that the challenge before the VCs is to reverse traditional approach and transform  universities into epicenters of unleashing the powerful human resources.

He also stressed that the universities should lay importance to the issue of social inclusivity, especially of the poorer, weaker and underprivileged sections. Till now, though not much has been achieved in the task of generating avenues for the marginalized sections to enter into Higher Education, adequate scope has to be provided to address the issue. The Governor said that institutes of higher education should also be the vanguards in the fight against social evils and they must create awareness among the population through extension activities.

The Governor observed that as the state moves towards a knowledge-based society quality research should take center-stage of social and business development. Quality research of contemporary relevance must be carried out by the universities. Moreover, taking into consideration of the important cross roads of social transformation that the society is at present, research on interdisciplinary courses should be encouraged, the Governor added.

Chairman of National Board of Accreditation Prof. K.K. Agarwal, former Chairman of UPSC Prof. D.P.Agrawal, Education Advisor to the Govt. of Assam Prof. M.K. Chaudhuri, Additional Chief Secretary Higher Education Manindar Singh, Principal Secretary-Finance Samir Kumar Sinha, Former Vice Chancellor of Dibrugarh University Prof.Alak Kumar Buragohain, Secretary to Governor Sanjib Kumar Gohain Barua and the newly appointed Vice-Chancellors of Universities namely Prof.Dibakar Das of Madhabdeb University, Prof.Birinchi Kumar Das of Bhattadev University, Prof.Amalendu Chakrabarty of Rabindranath Tagore University, Dr.Dambarudhar Nath of Majuli University of Culture and Prof.Laishram Ladu Singh of Bodoland University were present during the programme.