Delhi University played a major part in creating a strong generation of talented youngsters: PM Modi

PM lays foundation stone of 3 Delhi University buildings; Faculty of Technology, Computer Centre & Academic Block

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today laid the foundation stone of the building for the Faculty of Technology, Computer Centre and Academic Block, to be built in the North Campus of the University.

Addressing the gathering during Valedictory Ceremony of Centenary Celebrations of the University of Delhi Narendra Modi said that the contributions of the personalities which have emerged out of the University give a glimpse of the life of Delhi University.

“The universities and educational institutions of any nation present a reflection of its achievements”, the Prime Minister said. In the 100-year-old journey of DU, the Prime Minister continued, there have been many historic landmarks which have connected the lives of many students, teachers and others. He remarked that Delhi University is not just a university but a movement, and it has filled every single moment with life.

The University of Delhi was established on 1st May 1922. In the last hundred years, the University has grown and expanded immensely and now has 86 departments, 90 colleges, and more than 6 lakh students and has contributed immensely towards nation-building.

The Prime Minister said, “If during these hundred years, DU has kept its emotions alive, it has kept its values vibrant too”. Underscoring the importance of knowledge, the Prime Minister noted that when India had vibrant universities like Nalanda and Takshila, it was at the peak of prosperity. “India’s rich education system is the carrier of India's prosperity”, he said, underlining the high Indian share in the global GDP of that time. Continuous attacks during the period of slavery destroyed these institutions leading to obstruction of the intellectual flow of India and bringing the growth to standstill, he added.

He said after Independence, universities played a crucial role in giving concrete shape to the emotional swell of post-independence India by creating a strong generation of talented youngsters. Delhi University too played a major part in that, he said. This understanding of the past gives shape to our existence, shape to our ideals and expansion to the vision of the future, he said.

“When the resolve of an individual or an institution is towards the country, then its achievements are equated with the achievements of the nation”, the Prime Minister remarked.

The Prime Minister emphasized that education is not merely a process of teaching but also a way of learning. He pointed out that after a long time, the focus is shifting to what a student wants to learn. He talked about the flexibility in the new National Education Policy for selecting subjects. Talking about the improvement of the quality and infusion of competitiveness among the institutions, the Prime Minister mentioned the National Institutional Ranking Framework which is motivating the institutions. He also pointed out the effort to link the autonomy of the institutions with the quality of education.

The Prime Minister said that due to the futuristic educational policies and decisions, recognition of Indian universities is increasing. He informed that while in 2014, in the QS world ranking there were only 12 Indian universities, today this number has reached 45. He credited India’s youth force as the guiding force for this transformation. The Prime Minister hailed today’s youth for transcending the concept of education being limited to placement and degrees. He said that they want to blaze their own trail and presented more than one lakh startups, 40% more patent filing as compared to 2014-15 and a rise in the Global Innovation Index as proof of this thinking.