Attending the 20th convocation of Dibrugarh University on June 28, Assam governor Jagdish Mukhi observed that the institutes of higher education should be the centre of knowledge and development and the students should be the nodal agents of development and creators of wealth.
Assam governor and chancellor of the university Mukhi said that the Indian universities as the centre of development must initiate dialogue between industry, trade and commerce to create a standard protocol to make judicious use of the country’s abundant natural resources.
He, in this context, referred to the national education policy’s objective for collaborative engagements between industry and academia to bolster scientific and technological innovations. He said that in the changing academic environment in the wake of rolling out of NEP 2020, Dibrugarh University must take a stand to become a nodal agency in the state to facilitate industry and academic interactions to expedite the growth trajectory of Assam.
The governor also said that the institutes of higher education should also be responsible for maintaining and promoting environmental security. They should also take the role in inculcating respect for the environment among the students as this respect would be tantamount to sustainable development.
As the Chancellor of Dibrugarh University, it is my proud privilege to have chaired the 20th Convocation of the University. Being the second-oldest university of the State, the institute has been relentlessly striving to achieve academic excellence in all fields of study. pic.twitter.com/ApKzHVHvwF
— Prof. Jagdish Mukhi (@jagdishmukhi) June 28, 2022
Mukhi also said that the Indian universities should also take the lead toward social inclusion, especially of the underprivileged classes into higher education. Inclusion of the hitherto marginalized sections into higher education has remained a challenge for the Indian society and needs to be overcome in order to harness the full potential of these sections, the governor added.
He said that the inclusion of girls in higher education needs to be stressed. He, in this context, hailed from Dibrugarh University which has more than 60 percent girl students.
The governor during his speech also observed that a major challenge for higher education institutes in India is devising ways to increase the skilled workforce in the country which at present is tremendously behind many other countries. India is faced with a challenge of great proportions as only about a tenth of the total workforce of the country has undergone skill training.
Therefore, increasing skilled human resources has become a strategic priority for the country and for higher education institutes in India. It is, therefore, imperative that institutes of higher education find ways and means to integrate conventional education for knowledge creation and dissemination of skill-based education, which is indispensable for the much-needed human resources for the emerging sectors.
Mukhi also urged the students to be resolved to start their lives with renewed vigour and purpose. He said that the students need to find ways in which they can make themselves self-reliant.
The chief guest of the convocation, director of CSIR-NEIST G Narahari Sastry called upon the graduating students to contribute towards nation building with strong moral character.
Out of 29,526 students, 188 got PhD certificates, 172 got MPhil, 3,779 got post-graduation and 25,387 students got graduation.
