The Hindu : Karnataka News : Education should adapt to change: Shankaramurthy

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Friday, Sep 21, 2007
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Karnataka

Education should adapt to change: Shankaramurthy

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: Minister for Higher Education D.H. Shankaramurthy on Wednesday said reorganisation and revitalisation of the education system was needed to meet challenges posed by globalisation.

He was presiding over a seminar on the National Knowledge Commission’s recommendations on higher education jointly organised by the Department of Higher Education, Bangalore University and Centre for Educational and Social Studies. The seminar was sponsored by Visvesvaraya Technological University.

He felt that with rapid globalisation, new systems were emerging and if appropriate changes were not made in the education system to adapt to the changes, the country would be left behind. Educationists should come out with a relevant system so that students coming out of general degree courses would be employable, Mr. Shankaramurthy said.

Despite there being a phenomenal expansion in higher education over the last six decades, a very small percentage of the population was reaping the benefits. It should be accessible to the vulnerable sections of society to avoid further widening of the gap in social inequality, he said. Though private and voluntary efforts were crucial in this regard, private participation should not degenerate into commercialisation of education, the Minister warned. The present government has opened as many as 180 new government colleges for this purpose, he said.

While inaugurating the seminar, Governor Rameshwar Thakur said there had only been quantitative improvements in the higher education. Qualitative aspects such as curricula, examination, pedagogy and reading material have suffered, he said.

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