India needs more unitary universities: ISTE president

Updated on: Monday, October 05, 2009

Erode: India needs more unitary universities to improve higher education, N.R. Shetty, president, Indian Society for Technical Education, said.

Addressing the Twelfth ISTE Studentsâ€™ National Convention 2009 on â€˜Global Opportunities and Challenges of Technical Students,â€™ he said the country should get out of affiliating system.

'Thanks to our colonial legacy, we in India continue with affiliating university system, which is not good enough. If we have to improve higher education, we need to have unitary universities.'

Professor Mr. Shetty, a senior academician, quoted the National Knowledge Commission report that said the Country needed about 1,500 universities in the next few years and quoted China as an example.

'We will have to look at China, which faced challenges in education that were more or less similar to ours. It went in for unitary universities and I suggest we too should do the same.'

It was not enough on part of the Union Government that was taking steps in the direction of setting more institutions like IITs and IIMs. He suggested that the Government could also consider promoting private institutions of excellence.

'It will be wise to look at existing institutions of excellence, including private institutions, upgrade and equip them to world-class standard rather than starting new institutions. '

Mr. Shetty also touched upon quality and equity in higher education.

Speaking on the issue of quality education, particularly in technical education, Mr. Shetty suggested that institutions introduce technology to improve quality. And also creativity, as it was absent in the current teaching-learning process.

He also highlighted the importance of industry-institute partnership and cited institutions in Canada as an example.

'Institutions there maintain a close relationship with the industry, which funds research programmes. In fact, in a particular institute industry has sponsored aircraft and runway strips to research on aircraft. Such a close relationship is needed,' he stressed.

M. Chidambaram, director, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchi, asked the students to pursue graduate programmes and also research. 'We should encourage our students to do higher studies either as full-time or part-time programme because it helps their career.'

He encouraged the visiting students to exchange ideas and share knowledge to make the event successful.

India needs more unitary universities: ISTE president

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