IMPHAL, Oct 13: The 12th Convocation of Manipur University was held today at the Centenary Hall of the University with the Governor of Manipur, Gurbachan Jagat, as the chief guest, Chancellor of Manipur University, PN Srivastav, as the president and chief minister of Manipur, O. Ibobi, as the guest of honour.
Addressing the convocation ceremony, the Governor Gurbachan Jagat stated that the graduates and post-graduates of humanities and social-sciences who clamour for government jobs are parasites who have nothing to contribute in the society.
He said that science and mathematics are the best course of study for the students and a high school skill oriented education should be developed in view of enabling most of the high school students to obtain job after finishing their schooling.
The Governor further stated that the higher education should be made available to a lesser number of gifted number students whose abilities could be developed by an equally gifted faculty.
The internet and other advanced facilities have greatly improved the education system by making the students accessible to almost all kinds of information and the teachers should also concentrate on strategies to develop the child’s or the university students’ ability to think for themselves, he noted.
Gurbachan maintained that the students should be encouraged to devote more time in pursuing research works for the benefits of the country, and added that the universities should become centre of excellence in the sense that they become a breeding ground of new ideas as a result of vigorous research.
The Governor also lauded the authority of Manipur University for taking the Central University of the state to a new height of academic excellence and commendable service rendered to the people in the field of education.
Delivering the presidential speech, the Chancellor of Manipur University, PN Srivastav stated that the students of the country should be well-equipped to compete with the Chinese counterparts by laying more emphasis on education and research works.
He said that India currently requires 15 lakh scientists and more than 30,000 PhD holders in order to make India a superpower in the world.
The Chancellor further drew the attention of the state government to pressurize the Central government to allocate more funds to make the Manipur University 80 percent residential campus.
The chief minister O. Ibobi who attended the convocation ceremony as the guest of honour stated that the Manipur University has seen lots of changes in the course of five years after it has been upgraded to a Central university.
He said that the Manipur University is a leading educational centre in the whole of North-East which has achieved much recognition.
The introduction of semester system in the colleges of the state is a landmark development in the education scenario of the state. The colleges do not require more development but proper management of the existing infrastructures so as to make the semester system of education successful in the state, Ibobi stated.
Altogether 19 doctoral degrees, five MPhil degrees, 186 master’s degrees and 71 gold medals were presented to the students of different schools of the University during the convocation ceremony.
The convocation was also attended by MP Dr. T. Meinya, MP Thangso Baite, MLA O. Joy, MLA Surchandra, MLA Dr. Kh. Loken, donors, teachers and students of Manipur University.
