The Hindu : Innovation key to knowledge society: Kalam

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 08, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Innovation key to knowledge society: Kalam

By N. Rahul

HYDERABAD June 7. The President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, again did what he is best at -- interacting with educationists and Vice-Chancellors of universities and urging them to help India become a strong nation.

At an interactive session with them here on Saturday, Dr. Kalam pumped into everyone's mind that they were the creators of the knowledge society which is knocking at our doors and which could thrive only on innovation. Their profession was unmistakably knowledge which should reach students and transform them into a product.

Dr. Kalam insisted that the universities had two tools -- students and research -- with which to enrich knowledge. The question was how much knowledge they were creating for knowledge sake and how much for economic growth. Universities were the home of basic and applied research.

The President asked them to give one-page answers to three questions and post them to his website since he had very little time to hear them on the spot. 1) What is the knowledge you have provided for economic growth? 2) Are you having sufficient empowerment to work? 3) Other than going through the rigours of teaching, examinations and other routine, do you cherish a special mission but are unable to achieve it?

He suggested that teachers go to industry on deputation for a one-year period, acquire knowledge and share it with students. The quality of teaching improved only where there was research through practical work. But, universities faced a big threat from the Internet as students could download any information. The universities must work out what their profile will look like under the circumstances by 2010.

Quoting the Delhi-based Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) observations for the uplift of 260 million population of the country living below the poverty line, Dr. Kalam said the areas identified by the council for the purpose -- development of education and health care, agriculture and food processing, information and communication technology, infrastructure and critical technology -- were all connected with the growth of basic science.

The President agreed with a suggestion of the IIIT Director, Rajiv Sangal, that the institute must become a vehicle to enrich universities of the State having empowered itself. To a question of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Vice-Chancellor, Venkatram Reddy, that the multi-religion and multi- caste system in India hindered the spread of knowledge, Dr. Kalam said the country's core competence lay in managing its billion population despite all these differences. In fact, universities were the best place to resolve the differences and teachers must be role models.

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