Make higher education relevant to meet challenges: CM

Hyderabad, Oct 16 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy today called upon the Vice-Chancellors of different universities to make higher education relevant to meet the emerging challenges and the perceived threat of competition from established foreign universities.

Addressing The South India Vice-Chancellors meet, after inaugurating it today, Dr Reddy said there was need for chalking out an urgent action plan to restructure higher education systems, in terms of both teaching and learning.

Stating that he was aware of the financial constraints within which the universities were operating today, Dr Reddy said his government was undertaking faculty recruitment and increasing the financial assistance by 25 per cent. He hoped that the universities would come forward with better results.

Dr Reddy said research in universities must necessarily address the local and regional problems. The government was taking care of the issue that more SC and ST students would go to institutes of higher learning, he added.

He said universities were expected to build human capacity for gaining competitive edge in the global economy.

He stressed that equity without a concern on quality in higher education was meaningless.

Dr Reddy told the gathering that the responsibility of shaping a more impulsive and equitable society rested on the shoulders of the Vice-Chancellors.

The Chief Minister said the Congress government in the state had started six new universities, including a Vedic University and a Veterinary University.

UNI JRK GKT VD RN2142