India is emerging as a world leader in the field of education. Higher educational institutions in the country are at such a juncture from where the country can go back to its ancient glorious days of prosperity, of scholarship, of inclusiveness and regain the status of a Vishwa Guru, V.S. Chauhan Director, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, said in Belagavi on Wednesday.
He was delivering the convocation address at the Rani Channamma University.
Indian universities are places where students acquire new skills, essential domain knowledge and develop scientific temperament. These are places where teachers nurture the skills of students and shape them into responsible citizens. They have not only grown in number but also in terms of quality of education being provided, he said.
There were just around 20 universities and 200 colleges in India at the time of of Independence. But now there are over 960 universities and over 45,000 colleges. Over 3.7 crore students are enrolled in higher educational institutions. They are contributing greatly to the advancement of knowledge and improvement of the country’s economy, he said.
“We need education to cleanse the head and strengthen the arms and legs of the youth, to build a responsible society,” he said and gave a call to students to take steps to protect environment.
He expressed concern over the condition of public health across the world and said that the poor did not have easy access to quality health care even today.
“The collapse of the global public health system seems to have caused irrecoverable damage during this pandemic. However, within a short time, we invented vaccines and medicines to contain the pandemic. This is a spectacular achievement,” Dr. Chauhan said.
The genetic scientist said that on an average, there has been one major pandemic every decade, since the 1970s. “In this decade, COVID-19 broke out and the pandemic has caused a global set-back. It is time for us to figure out the causes behind these occurences,” he said.
Governor and Chancellor of the university Thawarchand Gehlot gave away certificates to meritorious students. He urged young people to retain the thirst for knowledge all their life. He hoped India will soon achieve the status of Vishwa Guru.
Honorary doctorates were given to nephrologist Sudarshan Ballal and writer Vadiraj Deshpande.
The university awarded three honorary doctorates, 86 doctorates, 2,738 post-graduation and 35,484 undergraduation degrees.
