CNR Rao calls for restructuring of educational system

Mysore, Jan 9 (UNI) Renowned scientist and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research President Prof C N R Rao today called for restructuring the higher education system in the country to become numero uno in providing knowledge.

Addressing the 87th annual convocation of the University of Mysore here, he said higher education was not only necessary for employment, but also for the overall development of the country.

India's education system was in bad shape and it needed good support from the Government.

Stating that six per cent of the GDP was earmarked for education, of which two per cent for higher education, when Mr P V Narasimha Rao was the Education Minister in the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's Cabinet, he said the allocation had now come down to three per cent, with higher education receiving nothing from it.

Mr Rao pointed out that there were times when over 50 to 60 per cent research workers came from universities, but now it had come down to ten per cent. While the country had awarded nearly 4,000 PhDs since the last 20 years, it was 10,000 in Brazil, 16,000 in China and 23,000 in the USA in a year.

He said that as India had a good population below 35 years and Indian youths would be in great demand in future, it was high time the education system was restructured. The present curriculum was useless and new programmes were needed from the universities to improve the standard.

Karnataka Governor and varsity Chancellor T N Chaturvedi conferred honoris causa degrees to eminent nuclear scientist and Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Dr Anil Kakodkar, former ISRO Chairman Dr K Kasturirangan, William T Sergeant, a pioneer in the field of polio eradication, and Dr B N Bahadur, a distinguished Kannadiga in the USA, on the occasion.

University Vice-Chancellor Prof J Shashidar Prasad said nearly 15,702 candidates received various degrees on the occasion, including 185 PhDs.

Sabeera Firrdouse (MA-Economics) won the maximum of nine gold medals and Radhika Balakrishna (Bachelor of Fine Arts) bagged seven gold medals.

UNI