Kalam highlights need for higher edu on R-Day eve

New Delhi, Jan 25: President A P J Abdul Kalam wants 250 million youth of the country to be imparted world class skills and higher education to be useful globally.

''The Universities and other educational institutions should create a global cadre of skilled youth with specialised knowledge and another global cadre of youth with higher education,'' Dr Kalam said in his address to the nation on the eve of the Republic Day.

He said nearly 10 million youth were injected into the employment market every year, and they have be trained at world class standards to be useful for human resource requirement of other countries too.

The President said by 2040, 50 per cent of youths should be enrolled for higher education.

Others who are not covered by higher education should all have world class skills in areas like construction, carpentry, electrical systems, repair of mechanical systems, fashion design, para-leagal, para-medical, accountancy, sales and marketing, software and services, he said.

''This an important task in which all universities, academics, specialists, colleges, vocational training institutions, banking systems and industrial enterprise can contribute in terms of assessing correct numbers, designing courses and providing infrastructural requirement,'' said the President.

System should be designed in such a way that no aspiring competent student should be denied quality education.

Dr Kalam also wanted that orientation for entrepreneurship should be given right from the school level.

During college education, students must be exposed to business development opportunities and must be trained towards creation of new enterprises, he added.

UNI