President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee was presented with the first copy of the book ‘The Education President’ by Vice President Shri M. Hamid Ansari at a function at Rashtrapati Bhawan’s Yellow Drawing Room. The book examines Shri Mukherjee’s efforts as President to usher in a fresh imagination in the field of higher education in India.
‘The Education President’ is published by O.P. Jindal Global University’s (JGU) International Institute for Higher Education Research & Capacity Building (IIHEd) and authored by a team of Professors lead by Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor, O.P Jindal Global University and Director IIHEd.
The co-authors include Professor Yugank Goyal, Associate Professor, Jindal School of Liberal Arts & Humanities; Professor Anamika Srivatava, Assistant Professor, Jindal Global Law School; Nisha Nair, Senior Research Associate, Jindal Global Law School; Prateek Pathak, Research Associate, O.P. Jindal Global University; and Srinjoy Sarkar, Research Associate, O.P. Jindal Global University.
Releasing the book, the Hon’ble Vice President, Shri M. Hamid Ansari, said, that since independence, our higher education sector has witnessed tremendous growth and that a feature of this expansion, especially in the last 25 years, has been the increasing participation of the private sector in higher education. Referring to various surveys, he however said, that the educational scene in our country today – primary, secondary and university or professional – present a dismal picture as it suffers from the tyranny of numbers, the folly of seeking quick fixes, with an indifference to quality.
The Vice President also expressed concerns over skewed sectoral and regional growth of private institutions, the lack of research orientation and the growing financial burden in the form of educational loans.
Speaking on the occasion, the Hon’ble President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, said, “It was the contradiction between our aspirations to occupy a place at the high table of the comity of nations and the reality of higher education in the country that motivated me to draw attention to the need to improve quality of higher education in the country.”
Emphasising on the need to urgently invest in research and development in the education sector, the President said, “India pays minimum attention to research. Only 0.6 per cent of our GDP is spent on research as compared to 2.8 per cent of China’s 10.38 trillion economy, 3 per cent in Japan and 5 per cent in USA. If we have to create a knowledge society, we must invest more in research and development.”
The President further added that India has a large higher education network comprising 757 universities and over 38,000 colleges, however, issues relating to quality and excellence are one of the biggest challenges, yet to be addressed comprehensively.
Shri Pranab Mukherjee remembered fondly three occasions of his association with O.P. Jindal Global University, first his visit to the university to inaugurate the International Conference on Future of Indian Universities: Comparative Perspectives on Higher Education Reforms for a Knowledge Society in March 2013, then in November 2015 when a book on the President of India and the Governance of Higher Education Institutions was presented to him by Professor Raj Kumar and his team at IIHEd and third in December 2015 when he addressed the Times Higher Education BRICS Emerging Economies Summit organised by the university.
Shri Pranab Mukherjee also thanked the International Institute of Higher Education Research and Capacity Building of O.P. Jindal Global University for recognizing the work that has been done in last four years by Rashtrapati Bhavan and publishing it in the form of an informative and analytical book. He said that his interaction with universities, faculty and students has enriched his life and expanded horizons.
Though there are many unique facets of Shri Mukherjee’s Presidency, one important aspect of his legacy is his distinctive contribution towards infusing a new vision into the higher education apparatus. During his tenure as India’s 13th President, Shri Mukherjee has taken special interest in initiatives and efforts dedicated to raise the quality of higher education and promote excellence. The President is the Visitor of 116 higher education institutions of India.
Speaking at event, Mr. Naveen Jindal, Founding Chancellor of JGU thanked the Hon’ble President of India – Shri Pranab Mukherjee for being a guiding light to the higher educational institutions in India including JGU which he graced with his visit in 2013, and said, “The Hon’ble President has played a pivotal role in encouraging higher education institutions to attain the highest standards. The book is a tribute to the painstaking efforts of the President of India, for ushering in a fresh imagination into the field of higher education in the country.”
“President Mukherjee contributed extraordinarily in democratising the Rashtrapati Bhavan and making it open and accessible to academics and made significant efforts in galvanizing reforms, promoting excellence and advocating equity in the Indian education sector. President Mukherjee emerged as the harbinger of path breaking changes in the education sector and will always be remembered as the education President of India.” noted Mr. Jindal.
Speaking on the occasion, Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor, O.P. Jindal Global University and Director, IIHEd, said, “The 13th President’s relentless efforts to seek a new vision and imagination that will pave way for fundamental reforms and bold thinking in higher education is unprecedented in the history of Indian Presidency. It is even more significant that President Mukherjee’s continuing efforts towards raising the quality of higher education and promoting excellence has occurred within the constitutional framework of the limited powers exercised by the President of India in a parliamentary form of government. Since he took office, President Mukherjee has tirelessly engaged with educational institutions, regulatory bodies, policymakers, ministries within the government, and most importantly, the faculty, students and all the stakeholders in field of education.”
Prof Kumar, the lead author of the book, further observed, that “the remarkable contributions of President Mukherjee that deservingly will recognize him as the Education President of India is his ability to identify issues with farsightedness that has already impacted the higher education system. President Mukherjee’s contribution to the field of higher education is unparalleled given his strong and sustained efforts to translate many ideas of good governance into higher education to tangible and implementable ideas for policy action and public policy reforms.”
The book gives an in-depth account of the role of the President of India as Visitor of Higher Educational Institutions; discusses Shree Mukherjee’s initiatives through his tenure for the future of higher education, and analyses the long-term impacts of his initiatives and interventions. As the 13th Head of State, President Mukherjee has consciously recognized the central role of education for human development. Being a scholar with vast knowledge and understanding of India and the world, he took concrete steps that went beyond mere speeches and writings.
The book recognizes the contribution of President Mukherjee for his farsighted leadership and initiative in recognizing that the future of India is significantly dependent upon our ability to empower the higher education institutions, which will help India establish a knowledge based society.