Kasaragod, Jul 19: President Pranab Mukherjee has expressed the hope that the school of medicine planned at the Central University of Kerala (CUK) will help carry out research to mitigate the ordeal of endosulfan victims in the district.
He said the school should be the much-needed platform for higher learning and research in all systems of medicine, with emphasis on community health care and affordable medical treatment, especially for the endosulfan victims.
Pointing out that Malayalam had attained the classical language status last year, Mr. Mukherjee said the classical language centre envisaged by the university would provide a platform for research in various aspects of the local language, literature, and culture.
He said he was delighted to visit the CUK in Kasaragod in Malabar, which, he said, had socio-historical significance.
Mr. Mukherjee said despite the glorious past, the region had lagged behind in terms of development. To restore its rightful place as a centre of growth, the CUK was established in 2009. The President said he was happy to name the CUK campus as Tejaswini Hills,' named after a river flowing through the region.
“This university has also set up a centre in Thiruvananthapuram. I compliment university authorities for quickly responding to the recommendation for establishing centres in State capitals made at a conference of Vice Chancellors of central universities at Rashtrapati Bhavan last year,” he said. Mr. Mukherjee said the university by awarding degrees to its students had attained an important landmark in its journey of continuous development. “It is indeed a moment of pride, joy, satisfaction, and fulfilment for the students and the university community,” he added.
He earlier reached the venue by road from Mangalore. The President later left for Mangalore by road as he could not reach the venue by helicopter.
Students told to be agents of change
Addressing a gathering during the maiden convocation ceremony of the Central University of Kerala the President said the country needs a dedicated and committed teaching community to address the issues in the education sector.
“We face scarcity of teachers. The challenge is to attract the best talent. Innovative methods such as appointing eminent resource persons on short-term basis from research institutions, industry or from abroad should be adopted to reduce vacancies without diluting standards,” he said.
The President said the quality of faculty should be improved by encouraging them to attend seminars and workshops, undertake collaborative research, and contribute to research publications As per surveys, Indian universities do not find place among the top 200 ranks in the world though our institutions are placed in higher standing amongst Asian or BRICS nations, he said.
“Having given greater impetus to the ratings process, I am confident of finding a few Indian institutions amongst the front-ranking universities in two years' time,” he said. Mr. Mukherjeesaid the success of the new generation lay in mitigating the hardship and sufferings of the people. “There is no harm in pursuing personal ambitions.
While pursuing goals, always keep the bigger picture, the higher calling, the greater good, in mind. India's success lay in mobilising forces to fight the scourge of poverty, deprivation and backwardness. As many as 576 postgraduate and MPhil students were awarded degree at the ceremonial function.
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