V. Irai Anbu, Principal Secretary, Department of Economics and Statistics, Government of Tamil Nadu, on Thursday urged the stakeholders of higher education to carry out a critical evaluation on global standings of Indian universities.
Delivering convocation address at the Bharathidasan University on the occasion of its 32nd convocation here on Thursday, he said it had been proved time and again that the countries with world class research and result-oriented universities led in all aspects of development. Good universities were the base for development.
The knowledge community, which was part of the universities, had been making remarkable contribution to the overall development.
Mr. Anbu said the Indian universities had a long way to go in improving their global rankings. Although there was a sea change in the overall outlook of Indian universities on various parameters when compared to earlier period, many more changes were needed to make them world class.
They would make headway only when the stakeholders of higher education including policy makers, bureaucrats, academicians, administrators, and teachers know the parameters followed for world ranking.
It would ultimately enable the stakeholders to fulfil the gap.
He said the universities functioning in developed countries were considered a global asset as the research and findings contributed to the humankind irrespective of regions and countries. Universities in England and Germany were spared during the second world war through a mutual agreement that educational institutes should not be destroyed in the war.
Vice-Chancellor V.M. Muthukumar said the university had given affiliation to one more college in Karur district, taking the number of affiliated colleges to 139, including 10 constituent colleges. Three new courses in MA (Economics, Geology and Development Studies) had been started during the current academic year. Similarly, three six-year M. Tech programme had been re-introduced in the academic year. A number of new programmes, including MBA (Tourism), had been introduced through the Centre for Distance Education. A total of 73,876 candidates were distributed degrees on the occasion.
A. Selvam, Registrar-In-Charge, was attended.
Good universities form the base for development,
says Irai Anbu
