It is a matter of serious concern that not a single Indian university figures in the list of top global institutions, underlining the fact that a lot still needs to be done on the front of higher education, Planning Commission member B K Chaturvedi said today.
In his speech at the 31st convocation of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University, Chaturvedi warned against a possible “demographic disaster” if country’s vast youth population was not equipped with proper knowledge and skills.
“If we do not emphasise adequately on the need for excellence in skill and knowledge, this surplus young population would become a demographic disaster,” he said, adding that India will have a surplus youth manpower of over 47 million by 2020.
Chaturvedi said no Indian varsity figured in the recently released list of top-200 universities across the globe, neither do they find any place among top institutions in BRICS countries.
On economic front, he said if the country continues to grow at the same pace, it will improve the quality of life.
“If our country continues to grow at current pace, the quality of life will improve substantially in coming years,” he added.
On this occasion, many as 189 students of session 2011 and 2012 were honoured for their academic achievements and a total of 77 students, including 53 girls, were awarded gold medals.
Pragati Kushwaha, a Master of Science (M.Sc), grabbed 9 gold medals for her performance.
In his address, vice-chancellor PC Trivedi announced commencement of various new courses in the university.
Source: PTI
