Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi said that colleges must take a lead in helping the students to imbibe respect for indigenous culture, local languages.
He also observed that promotion of indigenous culture, local languages should be another aspect that the colleges in the state must be working for.
Speaking at the Anandaram Dhekial Phookan College at Nagaon on Thursday, Governor Prof. Mukhi said, “No doubt, English is important, making our own languages and dialects vibrant and functional remains one of the greatest challenges of education in our colleges today”.
Here, the college like Anandaram Dhekial Phokan should take the lead, the Governor observed.
Mukhi also pitched for skilled based education where educational institutions like colleges and universities should play a proactive role.
He also said that in view of India’s average ranking in terms of skill competitiveness in the global arena, it has become difficult for employment opportunities to be created for over 65 per cent youth population of the country.
Hence, the need to impart skill training and incorporating skill based competencies in higher education has become utmost important today.
Increasing the skilled manpower of the country has become a strategic priority for the country. Institutes of Higher Education need to find ways and means to integrate conventional knowledge creation with skill based education, the Governor added.
The Governor also said that Anandaram Dhekial Phokan College should take the lead in popularizing and promoting skill based education besides the conventional sets of education to increase the employability of the students.
He, however, hailed the role of the college in introducing MSc course in Herbal Science and Technology which according to him would help the state and the region in becoming an organic hub.
Prof. also said that for the spread of technical and professional high quality education the Centre has set up seven new IIMs, six new IITs and two new Indian Institute of Science Education and Research.
It has also set up the Higher Education Funding Agency for lending money to institutions for infrastructure development.
Mukhi conferred Anandaram Dhekial Phookan Award to Prof. Nahendra Padun, in recognition to his overall role in the field of education, literature.
The award carries a citation, a cash of Rs.24000 and a fullam gamosa. It may be noted that in absence of Prof. Nahendra Padun who is indisposed because of illness, his son Abhijit Padun received the award.