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Allocation for higher education must increase, says C.N.R. Rao

Staff Correspondent

Scientist calls for an interdisciplinary approach in his convocation address

VARSITY CONVOCATION: Noted scientist C.N.R. Rao (fifth from left) posing with those who received honorary doctorates during the 87th Annual Convocation of the University of Mysore on Tuesday. University of Mysore Vice-Chancellor J. Shashidhar Prasad, Governor T.N. Chaturvedi, and Higher Education Minister D.H. Shankarmurthy are seen. — PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

MYSORE: Claiming that India's future depended on her universities, noted scientist C.N.R. Rao emphasised the need to restructure the higher education system to meet the challenges of the emerging world.

Delivering the convocation address at the 87th Annual Convocation of the University of Mysore at the Crawford Hall here on Tuesday, Prof. Rao said the higher education system in the country, which was in "bad shape", should be restructured with the introduction of new programmes with an emphasis on the interdisciplinary approach.

He described subject combinations such as "Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics (PCM)" and "Chemistry Botany and Zoology (CBZ)" offered in degree courses as "meaningless".

There is a need to offer new courses with enough flexibility to make higher education attractive to students, he said.

Prof. Rao, who is honorary president of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, regretted that the country was ignoring higher education in its anxiety to achieve progress.

"Higher education is not receiving enough financial support from the Government," he said. Recalling that he and other academics had recommended setting aside 6 per cent of the Gross Domestic Produce (GDP) for education with at least 2 per cent for higher education at the time of framing the National Policy for Education during the tenure of the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Prof. Rao said the country was at present spending barely 3 per cent of the GDP on education with higher education accounting for very little of the amount.

Over the years, universities regarded as fountains of knowledge had become barren owing to lack of financial assistance from the Government, he regretted.

Describing India as the "youngest country in the world" with more than 60 per cent of its population below the age of 35, Prof. Rao said the rest of the world had a relatively larger number of senior citizens. "In the U.S., more than 60 per cent of the population is 65 years or older. China also does not have many young people," he said.

Prof. Rao, however, regretted the degeneration of the value system. The ambition of most youngsters was to join a "second rate" engineering college and earn "a lot of money" before the age of 25.

Prof. Rao, an alumnus of University of Mysore, completed his B.Sc. and Doctor of Science more than three decades ago.

University of Mysore Vice-Chancellor J. Shashidhar Prasad welcome the gathering, while Governor T.N. Chaturvedi, chancellor of all universities in the State; and Higher Education Minister D.H. Shankarmurthy, pro-chancellor of all universities in the State, were present on the occasion.

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