Kapil:Mobility of Students in University System

University system must allow mobility to students. The University system needs to rise up from the current approach of limiting itself to teaching in specific streams such as arts and commerce as also limiting students to availing courses that are available only in their institution. This was stated by Shri Kapil Sibal, Union Minister for Human Resource, while inaugurating a Conference of Vice Chancellors of Central and State Universities here today. Shri Sibal went on to say that the power of the communication revolution taking place in the country must be utilised so that a student in one university can access a course he/she would like to study from another university. He also wondered as to why, when everything in nature is cross disciplinary, in academics there is still debate regarding this issue. Multi disciplinary study and research will result in creativity, he added.

Shri Sibal also underlined the need for uniformity in access to knowledge. He said that you must create a financial, social, economic structure which facilitates access to students. He said that the time has come that confidence in the academic system is shown and that the academic system should also show confidence in itself.

Shri Sibal, during his address, pointed out that enormous interest is being expressed by foreign universities in collaborating with Indian universities or setting up their institutions here. He also said that the general message he got from foreign institutions was that the large student strength in India attracts them to come here, especially for undertaking research.