India has potential to become leader in higher education, says VC of Canterbury Christ Church university

MANGALURU: Given the proportion of youngsters in the Indian demographic, the country’s higher education sector has the potential to become the largest in the world, opined Rama Thirunamachandran, vice-chancellor of Canterbury Christ Church University, England here on Saturday.
Thirunamachandran, who delivered the convocation address at the ninth annual graduation day celebrations held at Nitte (deemed to be university), said, “Presently, the higher education sector in India is the second largest in the world. But, given the number of youngsters in the country, there is scope for India to grow into the biggest higher education hub in the globe.”
As many as 916 students were awarded degree certificates at the convocation ceremony on Saturday.
Pointing out that India was at the very centre of the knowledge revolution presently under way in the world, Thirunamachandran said that the country was home to 900 universities and 40,000 colleges. “It boasts 1.3 million teachers and the educational institutions are home to 36.6 million students,” he added.
Recalling the words of former President of India Zakir Hussain, Thirunamachandran, elaborating on the role of Indian universities in the 21st century, said, “The role of a university is dictated by fundamentals that are not confined by time, or by borders. The former President of India Zakir Hussain summed it up succinctly when he said, ‘The role of universities is to provide intellectual and moral leadership’. Independent learning and self-education are the two key hallmarks of a good university.”
Juxtaposing the advancements made in science and technology in the 20th and 21st centuries across the world with the many persisting problems ailing people, Thirunamachandran added, “Despite the advances we have made, poverty, famine, climate change remain huge problems confronting us. The graduates of today carry the burden of resolving these issues. Our countries today need people with passion.”
The VC of Canterbury Christ Chruch University exhorted the young graduates to remain students throughout their life so as to prolong the learning process. “Students must not stop the learning process on convocation day. We must keep growing as individuals. Only last month, Amazon announced that it was responding to the fourth industrial revolution, and the rise in automation, and a corresponding increase in machine learning. Graduates today must be keen learners throughout their lives in such a scenario. Universities must respond to these challenges and allow students to work and study at the same time,” Thirunamachandran said.
Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa)
Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) were awarded to: Rajgopala Chidambaram –DAE Homi Baba professor in BARC and former principal scientific advisor, GoI and N R Shetty, chancellor, Central University Gulbarga and former vice-chancellor, Bangalore University.