Measures needed to improve academic management: President

New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday stressed on the need to take urgent measures to improve academic management in higher level institutions. Interacting with Institutes of Higher Learning from Rashtrapati Bhavan using the National Knowledge Network, the President said, an institution can draw the expertise and experience of some of their illustrious alumni for academic management through governing bodies.

"To make learning more effective, teaching pedagogy must be refined, curricula updated regularly, an inter-disciplinary approach adopted and evaluation mechanism reformed. They must identify core competencies and nurture centres of excellence," the President said. Underlining that with over 700 universities and 36,000 colleges, country does not have even one truly outstanding institution, Mukherjee said the fault lies in our casual approach and the rankings process should be taken seriously.

"Concrete action to present the credentials of our institutions is needed. Institutions must set up nodal authorities to handle data coordination. Some of the IITs have developed expertise in dealing with the ratings process... India has 160 researchers in R&D per one million people compared to 710 in Brazil and 1,020 in China. In high technology exports also, India does not fare well," he said.

Mukherjee said our institutes of higher learning must leverage their linkages with key stakeholders. "Academic institutes in India must develop partnerships with reputed international institutions. A win-win mode of interaction could be exchange of faculty; collaborative research; and sharing of academic resources like course material and resource persons," he said.

Remembering former President APJ Abdul Kalam, Mukherjee said, "I speak to you in the shadow of an irreparable loss that we have suffered in the passing away of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. My two illustrious predecessors, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan - a philosopher teacher and Dr APJ Abdul Kalam - a scientist teacher have greatly influenced my thinking on the education sector"

Mukherjee said it was a matter of fact that 26 per cent of our population was illiterate. "Yet, our education system has given rise to the second largest pool of scientists and engineers in the world. Even today, many villages in the country are devoid of clean drinking water. Yet, we churn out a larger quantity of software for US IT firms than any other country.

"To take this fascinating and vibrant democracy to greater heights, we need highly educated and skilled young men and women. That is the challenge before our higher education system," he said. Mukherjee said in the contemporary world, we are wading in a sea of information and converting this information into knowledge and knowledge into wisdom, calls for exceptional skills which we must impart in our students.

"Universities must create an eco-system with adequate hardware and software where 'inspired teachers' can be effectively used to propagate knowledge."Entrepreneurship is another quality which must be cultivated in our students from an early age. They must learn how to take calculated risks for the sake of greater achievements within the parameters of ethical business practices," he said.

Mukherjee said value oriented education with deep understanding of the democratic governance structures and systems were a must for building leadership skills. "Development of the country and betterment of humanity should be the guiding principles for mission driven leaders of tomorrow. ‘Yes, We Can', spirit also has to be inculcated in formative years of our gen-next.

They must have the disposition 'to do the right thing' as well as 'to do things right'," he said. The President said alumni have an emotional connect with their alma mater. "An institution can draw the expertise and experience of some of their illustrious alumni for academic management through governing bodies. They can also be drafted for business and project mentoring, and curriculum design," he said.