President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday said the country's education system should strengthen adherence to secularism, inclusiveness and pluralism.
The President was speaking as chief guest at the convocation of Manipal University here.
Ms. Patil said these great values were enshrined in the country's Constitution and developed by its civilisation. “These give strength and sustenance to our diverse multicultural, multireligious and multilingual society. We are a democratic nation, which means there must be willingness to listen to the other's point of view, and to have respect for differing perceptions,” she said.
Peaceful and prosperous nations were indeed, predicated on an educated and well-informed population. She reminded the students that the large youth population of the country had a unique demographic advantage in terms of manpower availability for building the nation. “The energy of the youth and their enthusiasm must be guided into productive work,” she said.
“It is important that universities have an environment conducive for the healthy growth of students so that their talents can blossom and they become positive individuals. Our nation has made significant strides. We also responded creatively to advances in electronics, communications and computer technology and, resultantly, India has emerged as a major player in these fields. To maintain a leadership role in the knowledge economy, we must focus on innovation and remain competitive.”
“Today, we are the fourth largest economy in the world in terms of purchasing power parity, and one of the fastest growing economies. We have to address many constraints and remove many roadblocks on our growth trajectory. For a nation which is the seventh largest in geographical terms, and the second largest in terms of population, our existing physical infrastructure is inadequate.”
Making a mention of Manipal University, she said, “Today, Manipal is one of the leading academic and educational institutions in the country. I wish the University of Manipal a bright and prosperous future.”
Governor H.R. Bhardwaj and Higher Education Minister V.S. Acharya were present.
Chancellor of Manipal Univeristy Ramdas M. Pai declared the convocation open. Pro-Chancellor H.S. Ballal welcomed the gathering. Vice-Chancellor K. Ramnarayan gave an overview of the university.
Pro Vice-Chancellor Vinod Bhat administered the oath to students.
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