Sibal calls for mobility of students in university system

New Delhi: "The university system must allow mobility to students. The university system needs to rise up from the current approach of limiting itself to teaching in specific streams such as arts and commerce as also limiting students to availing courses that are available only in their institution."

This was stated by Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal while inaugurating a Conference of Vice Chancellors of Central and State Universities here today.

Sibal went on to say that the power of the communication revolution taking place in the country must be utilized so that a student in one university can access a course he/she would like to study from another university. He also wondered as to why, when everything in nature is cross disciplinary, in academics there is still debate regarding this issue.

"Multi disciplinary study and research will result in creativity," he said.

The minister also underlined the need for uniformity in access to knowledge and said that financial, social and economic structure which facilitates access to students must be created. "The time has come that confidence in the academic system is shown and that the academic system should also show confidence in itself," he stated.

Sibal, during his address, pointed out that enormous interest is being expressed by foreign universities in collaborating with Indian universities or setting up their institutions here. He also said that the general message he got from foreign institutions was that the large student strength in India attracts them to come here, especially for undertaking research.

The Conference of the Vice-Chancellors is being organized in the backdrop of the progress made during the last five years with regard to expansion, inclusion and excellence in higher education and the nature of processes which informed the higher education reform. The 2-fold agenda for the conference is:

(i) to identify development issues, challenges and reform agenda in higher education for the 12th five-year plan period; and
(ii) to provide inputs for policy planning and to carry forward the reform process into the 12th Five-Year Plan period.

The overriding theme of the conference is "University and Society". The main purpose of the conference is to come out with inputs for policy planning and development strategies that need to be put in place for making higher education relevant to the present as well as the future needs of our society at large.

In all, the following thematic areas have been identified for facilitating discussion during the conference:

(i) Access, Equity, Engagement and Outcome;
(ii) Content and Quality;
(iii) Research and Innovation;
(iv) Faculty Development and Inter-University Resource Sharing;
(v) Internationalization in Higher Education;
(vi) Alternative Modes of Delivery and Higher Education;
(vii) Models of Financing; and
(viii) Good Governance

It is proposed to hold eight parallel technical sessions devoted to each of the thematic areas in order to come out with specific inputs which will need into the design and implementation of reform programmes during the 12th plan.

Other who were present during the conference included Sam Pitroda, Advisor for Public Information, Infrastructure and Innovation to the Prime Minister, Higher Education Secretary Vibha Puri Das, UGC acting chairman Ved Prakash, vice chancellors from central and state universities and other senior officials of the HRD ministry were also present