Universities Should Impart Values Which Rise Consciousness To Become Better Citizens Than To Be Better Employees, Dr. Khare, Head, Centre for Policy Research, NEUPA

In recent times, higher education worldwide has moved from the periphery to the centre of governmental agendas. Universities are now seen as crucial national assets in addressing many policy priorities and as: sources of new knowledge and innovative thinking, providers of skilled personnel and credible credentials, contributors to innovation, attractors of international talent and business investment agents of social justice and mobility, contributors to social and cultural vitality, determinants of health and well being.

Dr. Mona Khare, Moderator of the session discussed that nowadays universities are only becoming a place where teachers are engaged in a rat race of their individual academic development and the institutions are merely focussing on their ranking and accreditation and while doing this, quality of teaching is being compromised, unfortunately.

Dr. Khare asserted that we need to become better citizens than to become better employees and entrepreneurs. Universities should rise consciousness amongst the students so that they may contribute towards the society also rather thinking only about their own selves. She made a point that education is turning into an industry and it is a dangerous pattern.

Vice-chancellor of SRM, Prof Sancheti said that not everything is learnt in a university setup and there are many other places where people learn. Be it coaching centres, activity classes or any other leisure-based activity, learning never stops. He also said that universities in future will no longer be known for content because content flows from everywhere. He emphasized that universities should only be enablers of knowledge and they should not be providers of it.

"Internet of things (IOT) and Robotics are future of Indian universities and engineering behind these will be drivers of all these innovative courses," Dr. Sancheti said. He also predicted that future of universities will be in programmes related to the services sector.

Another panelist Mr. KS Vijendra, Chancellor of Shobhit University, however, spoke about the ethos of the education system and said that ranking system of universities is a political agenda. He said that universities should create better individuals who are committed to creating a better future for the entire nation.