‘We should develop Universities as temples of higher learning’: Prez

Hyderabad:The Universities should be developed as temples of higher learning, President Pranab Mukherjee said. Speaking at the inaugural function of Centenary celebrations of Osmania University here today, the President said the Universities should be places for creating learning environment, where free exchange of ideas would take place and where mighty minds in the form of students and teachers would exchange ideas. He said Osmania University was also established with this dream that it would be an institution of excellence where free minds would meet freely, interact and exchange ideas and live in peaceful co-existence. In ancient India, India played a leading role in the field of higher learning. Universities such as Taxila, Nalanda, Vikramshila had attracted mighty minds in the form of students and teachers, he said. The President said that today, there was no doubt that there has been huge development of educational infrastructure in the field of higher learning. However, there were some areas of concern.

As Visitor to more than 100 Central Institutions of higher learning, he had been continuously emphasizing that these Institutions in India should occupy their rightful place in the International ranking process. He said that apart from looking into this aspect, attention also needs to be laid on basic research and education. There should be interface and effective inter-linkages between industry and academia. ” We cannot live in isolation.