Rising crimes: Pranab Mukherjee calls for instilling social values in young minds

Noting that recent cases of crimes against women have shaken the nation's conscience, President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday advocated inculcation of ancient values in young minds so that these social evils can be checked.

Recent happenings especially crimes against women have shaken our conscience, he said.

"Now again people are talking about it. This thing should have not happened if we had not forgotten our civilisational wealth — respect for women, care for children, respect for elderly and tolerance for pluralism.

"The values inherent in our ancient civilisation. These are basics which need to be inculcated in the minds of the young students since the very beginning. If we have that (values) then we do not need to bother thinking about a strong, stronger or strongest legislation to deal with this monstrous social evil," the President said in his speech at the valedictory function of Golden Jubilee of Dayanand Education Society in Latur.

Education can play a key role in women emancipation, he said.

The President stressed on the need for making critical reforms in country's educational system to ensure quality education.

"Not only quantity, we require quality in education also. I have shared my disappointment earlier...Out of top 200 universities in the world, there is not a single Indian university," he said and asked educationists to work towards providing quality education.

India had seen many universities like Nalanda and Takshila in ancient times which were centres of excellence, he said. "I do believe that if we make efforts, we may get back to those glorious days."

Mukherjee asked the private sector to invest in innovation and for betterment of the education sector. He said the government is making huge investments in the education sector.

"The government has earmarked six per cent of GDP for expansion of education in the 12th Five Year plan (2012-17)," Mukherjee said.

The country's higher education sector has expanded significantly, he said. The total number of students enrolled in the sector was 2.6 crore at the end of the 11th Plan period which is projected to increase during the 12th Plan.

Though the country has over 650 degree awarding institutions and over 33,000 colleges, the President said, "But we are short of good quality academic institutions, on account of which, many bright students prefer going abroad for higher studies."

He asked private industries, teachers and government to support grassroot innovators and research work. As per an international survey, only three among the 100 most innovative companies in the world are Indian companies, the President said.

Mukherjee said India needs to work for making quality education more affordable and accessible.

"Many bright students are circumstanced by geographic location or economic difficulty from seeking higher education. There is an urgent need to increase accessibility. This will not only improve the enrolment rate in higher education, but also enhance quality of graduates."

The President, who is on a two-day tour of Maharashtra and yesterday visited Mumbai and Pune, arrived at Latur which has emerged as an important educational centre in the state.

Latur, which is gradually growing into a city, has more than 50 colleges providing technical education among others.

The Dayanand Society, which was established in 1962, has around 10,000 students studying in its education institutions.

Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan, Punjab Governor Shivraj V Patil, who hails from Latur, and Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan were among the dignitaries present in the function.

Patil has earlier been a lecturer in Dayanand Education Society here for 10 years.

"Maharashtra has faced severe drought. Despite that, we assure you that we will continue to contribute in the country's growth," Chavan said in his address.