VP says Higher Educational Institutions to bring in shift in promoting research

Shri Naidu said that opined that the true quality of education provided by an institution should be assessed by its ability to foster responsible citizenship and social cohesiveness apart from inculcating moral and ethical values in students.

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that accreditation and ranking of higher educational institutions must enable students to make informed choices.

Addressing the gathering after releasing the book titled "Quality, Accreditation and Ranking – A Silent Revolution in the Offing in Indian Higher Education" written by Dr. H. Chaturvedi and his fellow authors, he said that Higher Education must transform an individual into a responsible human being with social, moral and ethical values embedded in him. To achieve this, Shri Naidu wanted the quality assurance and accreditation mechanisms to acknowledge the transformative role of education and facilitate in widening the horizons of the higher education system.

Shri Naidu said that opined that the true quality of education provided by an institution should be assessed by its ability to foster responsible citizenship and social cohesiveness apart from inculcating moral and ethical values in students.

Quoting the UNESCO Institute of Statistics data, Shri Naidu said that there were only 215 researchers per million inhabitants in India as on 2015. He expressed concern that the same report pointed out the minimal participation of women researchers and said that the nation cannot continue with business as usual approach.

The Vice President said that the Higher Educational Institutions to bring in a paradigm shift in promoting research. He tasked them to accord greater importance to research and innovation by enabling an eco-system for creativity to thrive.

Shri Naidu said that said having a research facility at Post Graduate College level should become a criterion for obtaining accreditation by bodies such as UGC (University Grants Commission) or NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council).

The Book released by the Vice President contains articles, essays and research papers authored by some of the prominent educationists, policy makers, researchers and a media person, presents an analysis of the past and present scenario in the Indian Higher Education. The book also focuses on how to raise the quality of our colleges and universities to enable them to compete globally.

(With Inputs from PIB)