India’s education system would have to take on the challenge of tapping its ‘demographic dividend’.

CHANDIGARH, March 18: The President of India, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, today said that India’s education system would have to take on the challenge of tapping its ‘demographic dividend’. We will also have to provide a competent skilled workforce.
He was inaugurating a 3-day international conference of the theme “Universities of the Future: Knowledge Innovations and Responsibility’ ’at O. P. Jindal Global University in Sonepat.
The President said that interface between education and industry should be established.The requirement of today’s educational system is to focus on innovation and research. Another important necessity of modern Universities is to have a chain of inspired teachers who can ignite the minds of students and encourage them to think out of the box. Young boys and girls should be encouraged to have problem-solving minds to enable them to solve problems through their ingenuity.
He said that since 2014, the Festival of Innovations [FOIN] is being held in Rashtrapati Bhavan. He has seen in FOIN how a large number of persons from obscure places and remote villages have tried to solve the problems of society through innovation. However, at the same time, it was also essential to establish linkages between innovation and the market. He emphasised that future Universities must establish strong linkages with various stakeholders in society. Unless we have strong foundations of basic research, our futuristic University plans will be seriously jeopardised.
Mr Pranab Mukherjee said, “Knowledge mobilization through quality higher education is pivotal to the socio-economic development of a nation. Innovation and futuristic universities are the driving force behind this. There is an urgent need to improve education system in terms of the quality of instruction, faculty, research and capacity building.”
He said that no Indian university figures in the top 200 universities of the world. Transforming universities into centres of excellence is the key challenge policy-maker and academic leaders face. Educational institutions have to gear up to face the socio-economic challenge the country is facing in terms of job creation. He said, “Quality, affordability and accessibility are the three cornerstones of higher education which need to be understood in the Indian context. Our universities need to actively pursue linkages with the best universities in the world to ensure student mobility, collaborative research and joint projects.” He also emphasised on the linkages between education and industry and said, “Innovation should be linked to the market. Through collaborative work and international knowledge exchange, educational institutes can build a larger influence in the international education arena.’’
Haryana Education Minister, Mr Rambilas Sharma, said, “Knowledge, innovation and responsibility have been Indian patents since ancient times. Knowledge is not only our past, but is our future.”
Those present on the occasion included Governor Prof. Kaptan Singh Solanki, Minister for Women and Child Development, Mrs. Kavita Jain,MP Mr Ramesh Chander Kaushik, Chief Secretary, Mr D.S.Dhesi, other senior officers, academia from various universities and students and prominent personalities of the area.