At UoH, Venkaiah Naidu urges faculty, students to focus on academic excellence

Hyderabad: The Vice-President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu, speaking at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) on 16 November, urged the students and faculty members to focus on achieving academic excellence.

Inaugurating a new amenities centre at UoH, the Vice-President recalled that India was an important global centre of learning in the ancient times with students from foreign shores studying at reputed institutions like Takshashila and Nalanda. People might have different ideologies, but the main ideology should be "academic excellence", he said.

Expressing his concern over the degeneration of values, he urged the youth to follow India's age-old civilisational ethos and culture. "The youth of our nation, that comprises 65 per cent of the country's population, has to be constructive not obstructive. We need to be positive and not negative. Positivity of mind, thoughts, and actions will make you strong and stable. The youth must join the forces of growth and shun negativity," he said.

Mr. Naidu urged the youth to be the torchbearers in eradicating illiteracy, combating diseases, meeting challenges in the farm sector, ending social evils like discrimination in any form and atrocities against women, and eliminating corruption.

"The entire universe is our family," Mr. Naidu said, adding, "This attitude has to reach everyone and this should be the core of the education policy. Even after 73 years of attaining freedom, we have not yet achieved 100 per cent literacy rates. There is a need for concerted efforts from all stakeholders to promote literacy and achieve the goal of having a fully literate society. I am glad that the new education policy proposed by the government not only focuses on improving the quality of education but also seeks to develop character, inculcate scientific temper, promote creativity and spirit of service, and equip students to meet 21st-century challenges."

He added, "I have gone through the education policy in detail and it is holistic, comprehensive, and meaningful. It provides scope to our higher education institutions to scale new heights and to be counted among the best in the world. I am happy that the new education policy has proposed a National Research Foundation as well."

He further said, "The nation is passing through a critical juncture and there are many challenges before us. Like all the other sectors, the education sector has also faced unprecedented disruption in the wake of COVID-19 and has brought forth new challenges before both teachers and students. And now we know that it is important to integrate technology to support teaching and learning. There is a need to study and adopt the best practices, like that of University of Hyderabad."