SPEECH BY HER EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA, SHRIMATI PRATIBHA DEVISINGH PATIL AT THE CONVOCATION OF THE SHRI MATA VAISHNO DEVI UNIVERSITY

Katra, Jammu & Kashmir, 25th November 2011

It gives me great pleasure to participate in the Convocation of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, which was set up in 2004 as a residential institution for providing scientific and technical education. This University has since then made significant progress in its endeavour to be a centre for excellence. Reputation of institutions is a product of the hardwork and commitment of those involved in their establishment and functioning. I wish all associated with this University - the Chancellor, the Vice- Chancellor, professors, lecturers, staff and students - the very best for a bright future. I would like to heartily congratulate the students who have graduated and those who got awards today.

During my visit here in 2008, three years ago, I had the opportunity to visit universities in the State. I accord high priority to interacting with students and youth of the country as they are the ones who will shape the future. This is also the generation that will have the exciting possibility of being a part of India's journey to becoming one of the leading nations of the world. This will happen if we invest in building capabilities and capacities of our youth. I believe the education of the youth is an essential and most valuable investment for any country for its growth and prosperity. Education is like building a bridge to opportunities; it prepares one to participate fully in the many aspects of life by making informed choices; it equips one to face the challenges of the future with confidence. It is an invaluable asset whose utility defies quantification as so numerous are its manifold benefits. To provide value-based quality education is an objective that is particularly important in India, where the median age of our population is around 25 years, and more than half of the country's population is young people. Universalizing primary education by making it a Fundamental Right for children in the age group of 6 to 14 years, alongwith a commitment to universalize secondary education will spread the reach of school education in our country. This expansion will also mean that our education pyramid would have to look at increasing the number of higher education institutions. This process has to be structured with great thoughtfulness. The challenge of expanding higher education is not just about making room for an ever larger number of students, it is also about having these numbers flow into the right streams and sectors. Moreover, education must also reach all boys and girls of every section of our society, so that the aspiration to realize their full potential becomes a reality for all in our country.

A nation requires a range of qualifications and professional skills. A comprehensive education system must, therefore produce people who can meet job requirements, who can become good professionals because of their aptitude, whether they are doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, researchers, scientists or managers. It needs to produce innovators and entrepreneurs. It needs farmers who can produce agricultural products with greater knowledge and Research and Development inputs, with better utilization of resources, with a greater ability to access knowledge systems and to integrate with other sectors of the economy by forging linkages for production, marketing or value addition with industry to make agriculture more remunerative.

Choosing the right technologies to put the nation or your own State on the path of rapid development requires technology foresight. We need large scale industrialization and we also need to have effective rural technology delivery. Recognizing that science and technology, Research and Development and their applications, require a boost in the country; we are looking at the ten years from 2010 to 2020 as the Decade of Innovation. This is because we need new solutions - technological and otherwise - in many areas to achieve sustainable growth in agriculture, in energy, in renewable energy, in urban development, in water management, in manufacturing and, indeed, in every activity. Innovations are required at the level of both high-end cutting edge technologies, as well as at a level of common usage by people in their daily lives. I believe that science and technology institutions like yours have a leading role to play in this field, so that the latent talents and creative energy of our people find an expression.

Look at how in this age of knowledge and science and technology has changed the way we work in educational institutions. Today, for example, a student through the internet can access databases of other educational institutions or can join discussions on topics of interest. Access to information has become a function of a click of the mouse. I am aware, that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University has developed a full-fledged Network Centre, with Wi-Fi connectivity and unlimited usage of Internet facility which will help students in their studies. I hope that the students will utilize this facility in a judicious manner to increase their knowledge base, and not while away their energy in undesired directions. I am glad that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University has concluded arrangements with national and international institutions of repute for exchange of faculty and students. The University is also working with industries and companies for joint academic and research work. This means that research that has utilitarian value for the end user can be undertaken. Moreover, I am glad that the teachers are also engaged in research works along with their teaching responsibilities. Their considerable knowledge is being put to dual use - research as well as teaching - both of which are immensely beneficial to society, and I congratulate the teaching faculty for this. Educationists have great responsibility not only for themselves in the present, but also for the future. They are teaching a whole new generation. The real purpose of education is not only to impart knowledge, but to ignite a life long search for knowledge and a desire for enlarging mental and intellectual horizons. A teacher is well described in the words of Kahlil Gibran, a great poet and thinker of the last Century. He wrote: "The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind." I call on the professors and lecturers to strive to do their best to open the minds of the students, so that they have inquisitiveness and curiosity about the world and the environs around them. This will help in making them creative and analytical individuals.

As young students, along with completing your education successfully, you must focus on adopting attitudes that brings about great cooperation and friendship among peoples. You must develop an understanding of the ethos of our culture and the essence of democracy, which is a fundamental pillar of our system. Here I am reminded of what Dr. B. R. Ambedkar said, "My definition of democracy is a form and a method of government whereby revolutionary changes in social life are brought about without bloodshed." This requires adherence to the path of reason and the path of dialogue. It requires tolerance and abandoning of narrow ideologies. This will make you a good citizen of the country. For in life, even as you seek individual success, you have a duty to also contribute to nation building efforts.

The students who graduate today would complete one stage in their lives, and as you begin anew another stage, you must keep the spirit of inquiry alive, in your working life as well. This is the way you will keep abreast of the latest developments in your work area. I wish you the very best for the future. I would also like to wish continued progress of the University.

Thank you.

Jai Hind!