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‘Don’t compartmentalise knowledge’

— Photo: K. Murali Kumar

In conversation: Director of National Institute of Advanced Studies K. Kasturirangan (right) with Vice-President Hamid Ansari at the inauguration of the Centenary Faculty Block on NIAS campus, in Bangalore on Sunday.

Bangalore: Rigid compartmentalisation of knowledge systems has taken a toll on the intellectual output of higher educational institutions, Vice-President M. Hamid Ansari has said.

Speaking after inaugurating the Centenary Faculty Block of the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) here on Sunday, the Vice-President said that inter-disciplinary approach was critical for cross-pollination of ideas and advancement of knowledge. What began as a functional division of work between departments had over time crystallised into rigid boundaries, he added.

“Increasingly, universities have parted with research and development activities,” said Mr. Ansari.

An institution like NIAS, he added, had brought together a range of subjects from metallurgy and astrophysics to rural development and gender issues under one roof, paving way for “new and fascinating outcomes”.

Governor Rameshwar Thakur said that institutions like the Indian Institute of Science and NIAS were examples of the success of public-private partnerships.

He said that the need for such collaborations in higher education was stronger today than ever before. NIAS Director K. Kasturirangan; Dean of NIAS A.R. Vasavi, and Xerxes Desai of Tata Social Welfare Trust were present.

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