The President, Mr. V.V. Giri, delivering the convocation address of the Bombay University this evening [Bombay, Aug. 17], said that the primary purpose of education should be to inculcate the virtues of humanism, tolerance, reason and breadth of vision among the students and instil in them the fervour for imaginative ideas and quest for truth. In this task the teacher played a unique and distinct role, he said. Viewed in this context, the President said in different parts of the country discipline and integrity were fast waning from among the people. Mr. Giri pointed out that if discipline was eroded either in the educational institutions or in the community life the future of the nation was bleak and whatever progress one might make or academic excellence one might acquire, one was doomed to failure. They must protect their community and educational institutions from this danger. The association and relationship between the students and the teachers was more than ordinary, he said. The President emphasised the importance of elevating the teacher-student relationship to one of understanding, cordiality and mutual co-operation.
