The Hindu : Front Page : Graduating students told to address social issues

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 06, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

Graduating students told to address social issues

Special Correspondent

“They should focus on historically disadvantaged people”

— Photo: K. Pichumani

WELL DONE: N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu, handing over the certificate to a graduate student at the convocation of JBAS College in Chennai on Saturday. (From left) Sanjeeda Haris, Principal; Moosa Raza, chairman, SIET; Faizur Rehman Sayeed, secretary, SIET; and the Prince of Arcot, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, are in the picture.

CHENNAI: N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu, urged fresh graduates of Justice Basheer Ahmed Sayeed College for Women to engage themselves with social issues.

“Commit yourself morally to do something for society,” he told the students at the graduation ceremony on Saturday. He suggested that they focus specially on sections that were historically disadvantaged.

Greater synergy

Mr.Ram also called for greater synergy between undergraduate and postgraduate sections and integration between research and high quality teaching. Since these streams were separate in India, colleges did not derive the benefits from such integration.

A key challenge

He also highlighted a key educational challenge: balancing the pursuit of quality and excellence with enhancing accessibility. Though there was a tension between these goals, excellence and affordability should not be seen as contrary to each other. Emphasising one angle too much would lead to problems.

Mr. Ram also spoke about the aim of making India a knowledge society in which knowledge would be used to empower and enrich people and create economic good for all its constituents.

Inclusive institution

The college’s secular stance was appreciable, especially since it was a minority institution, he said. The intentions of the management were to be inclusive and accommodative. Just 48 per cent of the students were Muslims.

The founders had a clear mission to empower young women and had built up, over the years, fine infrastructure, both physical and social. Attention had also been paid to enhancing faculty capabilities.

Re-accredited

Principal Sanjeeda Haris said the college had been re-accredited with A Plus rating. A total of 1,024 students received their degrees from Mr. Ram after Moosa Raza, chairman of the South Indian Education Trust (that runs the college), declared the convocation open.

The Prince of Arcot, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, and SIET secretary Kamaludeen Fakhri were present.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page