Karnataka - Mysore   

Call for national movement on value-based education

— PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

Special moment:Minister for Higher Education and Pro-Chancellor of University of Mysore V.S. Acharya conferring honorary doctorate degree on Union Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily; Managing Director of Narayana Hrudayalaya Devi Prasad Shetty; and Chairman of PES Institutions, Bangalore, M.R. Doreswamy in Mysore on Sunday. Vice-Chancellor V.G. Talawar is seen.

MYSORE: Calling for a national movement on value-based education, T. Ramasami, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, said that it was imperative for a resurgent India.

Delivering the 91st convocation address at the University of Mysore here on Sunday, Dr. Ramaswami said such a movement should be fuelled by an awakening of society, and not be left to the administrators of educational enterprises.

Governor and Chancellor H.R. Bhardwaj was absent.

In all, 17,757 candidates were awarded degrees, of whom 9,856 were women.

The university bestowed honorary doctorate degree on Union Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily; Managing Director of Narayana Hrudayalaya Devi Prasad Shetty; and Chairman, PES Institutions, Bangalore, M.R. Doreswamy. Renowned sarod exponent Rajeev Taranath, who was also selected for the honorary doctorate, was not present. The university will posthumously confer Doctor of Literature on Maharaja of Mysore Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, who founded the university in 1916.

Dr. Ramasami said the resurgence of India was not in doubt and the country was poised to be among the top three economies by 2035. Universities, instead of limiting themselves to the role of degree-awarding centres, should also become the nucleus for building a modern society carved out of an ancient civilisation.

New challenges

He said that as society climbed the ladder of success, it would face new challenges and it would need new educational systems. The power of education to counter the challenges of materialistic aggression in a world where survival of the fittest is the doctrine, is one of the critical needs, according to Dr. Ramasami. But when society is facing an internal challenge, as a result of conflict between the systems of the past and the systems for the future, there is a need for an educational system that merges the best of both worlds.

World Cup victory

Referring to the recent victory in the cricket World Cup, Dr. Ramasami said it was not just a victory in an odd cricket match but it was about a nation of 1.2 billion people wishing to reach the top and 15 men delivering that.

Dr. Ramasami added that by 2035, India would enjoy the benefit of youth energy, a strong financial power, a vibrant market and confidence in the community.

Minister for Higher Education and Pro-Chancellor of the university V.S. Acharya and Vice-Chancellor V.G. Talawar were present.

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