Delhi University should re-establish India as a Viswaguru, says Venkaiah Naidu

‘Lawmakers must seriously consider suggestions from varsities’ 

At the centenary celebration of Delhi University here on Sunday, Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu said it needs to break into the top 10 universities of the world and re-establish India as a Viswaguru by attracting students from across the globe.

Mr. Naidu, who is the Chancellor of the university, said it was important to avoid complacency. “Ancient India had enjoyed the reputation of being a Viswaguru and was a renowned cradle of culture with reputed centres of knowledge. The universities of Nalanda, Takshashila, Vikramshila, Vallabhi and Odantapuri bear ample testimony to this fact. We must ensure that our universities again become global learning centres,” Mr. Naidu said.

The Vice-President said the university during its 100-year journey played an important role in the country’s independence movement and its distinguished alumni had occupied important positions in various fields and contributed to the development of the country.

He said education was the most powerful catalyst for national development and high quality higher education could change the country’s development trajectory. Quoting Rabindranath Tagore, he said “tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection” and the country’s universities must build on their strengths to stand out as institutes of excellence. Mr. Naidu said poverty, illiteracy and discrimination were the challenges plaguing the country and universities had to help the administration overcome these hurdles with out-of-the-box solutions.

Encouraging the involvement of varsities in the lawmaking process, he said suggestions from universities should be “seriously” considered by lawmakers.

Describing the National Education Policy as a far-sighted document that is set to revolutionise the country’s educational landscape, Mr. Naidu said its emphasis on imparting education in one’s mother tongue will be a game changer.