Edu-leaders

The university system should not limit itself to teaching specific streams such as arts and commerce or confine students to opt only for courses that are available in their institution, said Kipal Sibal, Union Minister for Human Resource Development, at a conference of Vice Chancellors of central and state universities.

Sibal also said that the power of communication revolution must be employed in a way that a student studying in a university can have access to a course he would like to study in another university. Multi-disciplinary study and research will result in creativity, he added.

The minister also stated that various foreign universities are showing interest in collaborating with Indian universities and setting up institutes in India. He said: “The message I’ve got from foreign institutions is that Indian students attract them to come here, especially to undertake research.”

The Conference is being organized in the backdrop of the progress made during the last five years with regard to expansion, inclusion and excellence in higher education and the nature of processes that have reformed higher education.

The objective of the conference is to develop inputs for policy planning and development strategies that will make higher education relevant to the present and the future needs of our society. The areas that have been identified are: Access, Equity, Engagement and Outcome; Content and Quality; Research and Innovation; Faculty Development and Inter-University Resource Sharing; Internationalization in Higher Education; Alternative Modes of Delivery and Higher Education; Models of Financing; and Good Governance.

Eight parallel technical sessions will be held for each of the above mentioned areas in order to develop specific inputs for the design and implementation of reform programmes during the 12th Five-year Plan.