Deliberations on Challenges before Higher Education

Deliberations on Challenges before Higher Education

The experts gathered at the high level seminar at Khalsa University on `The Challenges before High Education’, dedicated to National Education Day, today delved deep into the changing scenario of the education in the country. They stressed on the need to make more budgetary allocations, strengthening of universities and colleges and participation of students in the framing of the curriculum.

Dr. G. Venkateshwarlu, Additional Director General at Indian Council Agriculture Research (ICAR) strongly advocated the new curriculum designs and research oriented activities in the varsities. He said the students who are the most vital part of the education must be involved in the framing of syllabus. He also stated that job-oriented courses and new requirement of the business and industries also need to be emphasized in higher education.

Dr. BS Ghuman from Punjab University, Chandigarh stressed on the `excellence in the higher education’. In his power point presentation he made an empirical comparison of the state of the higher education with the other countries of the world. “The teachers-students ratio in India is 1:26 while the UGC recommends it to be 1:15 while in USA it is 1:7. We need to set up at least 1000 more universities in the country by 2020 and area of research and designing of curriculum as per new requirements of industry, business and trade must be ensured.

Earlier the experts were welcomed on the campus by KU pro-chancellor Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina and vice chancellor Dr.SS Chahal. Chhina in his speak said that the higher education in the country is posing a dismal picture which is a matter of grave concern. He appealed the governments to allocate more budgetary funds for the varsities and regulate the institutions of higher learning for better results.

VC Dr Chahal said the lectures were highly beneficial and thought provoking and he said that in the modern competitive world only the excellence matters and not the mediocrity. “Only the best survives in the world today due to the intense competitions. Thus the higher education institutions must evolve themselves to fulfill the needs of the modern world’’, said Dr.Chahal. KU Registrar Dr.JS Dhillon in his vote of thanks elaborated the overhauling of the higher education and how the non-attending institutions, mediocre teachers
commercialization was playing havoc with the education sector.

Director, Students Welfare Dr.Sukhbir Kaur Mahal, Director Research Dr. RK Dhawan, Controller Examinations Dr.Amarpal Singh, Principals of various educational institutions and the students were present in the large number.