Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Mumbai, Oct 28 (IANS) Maharashtra and Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat on Tuesday told vice-chancellors of non-agricultural universities in the state that the duty of universities is not limited to imparting literacy and awarding degrees. They should also provide skill-based education, nurture entrepreneurship and develop students as responsible citizens who will contribute to achieving the vision of ‘Vikit Bharat’ by 2047.
In his first interaction held on Tuesday through video conferencing, the Governor issued several key directions to the universities, including submission of quarterly progress reports to the Raj Bhavan, implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, implementation of the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) with full sincerity, encouraging students to actively participate in sports and physical activities and taking steps to improve institutional rankings at the national level.
Further, the Governor asked the universities to give priority to skill-based education for girl students and work towards women empowerment, ensure transparency, efficiency and integrity in administration, conduct regular inspection of hostels, mess and sanitary facilities and seriously implement the School Connect program to increase student enrollment in higher education, the release issued by the Governor’s office said.
The Governor said that even though Maharashtra is an educationally advanced state, the decline in university rankings amid increasing competition is a matter of concern and requires immediate corrective measures.
He directed that each university should submit quarterly reports to the Raj Bhavan, detailing both achievements and challenges.
Highlighting the importance of sports, the Governor said, “If the youth do not play, do not go to playgrounds, and do not channel their energy through physical activity, then that energy will definitely find a wrong outlet.
“Therefore, universities and colleges should maintain playgrounds and sports facilities in good condition, strengthen their sports departments and monitor how many students actually use these facilities.”
He further directed that the universities will have to share this data with the Raj Bhavan within the next three months.
The Governor stressed on collaboration with the Department of Women and Child Welfare to promote skill development and empowerment among women students.
He also urged the universities to make their administration clean, transparent and dynamic.
Governor Devvrat said that if India has to regain its old glory then its youth are the biggest asset.
He said, “Today’s students are intelligent and attentive. They look at how their teachers behave, how punctual they are and how updated their knowledge is. Therefore, teachers must be disciplined, updated and punctual.”
The Governor urged the Vice-Chancellors and officials to regularly inspect hostels, mess and toilets to ensure cleanliness and hygiene. Sharing his experience as Governor of Himachal Pradesh, he mentioned the poor sanitary conditions in some universities and said that leaders should personally visit such places and even share food with students instead of leaving all the responsibility on the wardens.
He stressed that hostels should not become centers of drug addiction and it is everyone’s moral responsibility to stop it. Universities should organize lectures and workshops on de-addiction to make students aware of the ill effects of substance abuse. He suggested that students, NSS and NCC volunteers should be actively involved in tree plantation and de-addiction campaigns, and IKS should be started to impart moral and ethical education.
The Governor further said that if universities link up with schools and encourage students to pursue higher education, the current Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) of 27 per cent will increase significantly. He asked universities to track the career paths of graduates, maintain strong relationships with alumni and organize annual alumni meetings.
Governor Devvrat also shared that during his tenure in Gujarat, he personally led a seven-day cleanliness drive in a university campus. He announced that he would conduct a similar visit to universities in Maharashtra.
–IANS
sj/row