Skill development must to ensure wide growth: Pranab

Highlighting the university’s achievements,Vice-Chancellor Professor R C Sobti said the combined efforts of the faculty,students and other staff had made it possible for PU to find its place among the top educational institutes of the country.

Emphasising on skill development,Mukherjee said it was a key factor for economic and social growth of the nation. “Science and promotion of new technologies have changed the concept of need and privilege. We have to create skillsets across the country,including the remote areas,to ensure that growth finds a wider horizon. The Prime Minister’s Council on National Skill Development has laid down the core governing principles for operating strategies. The council has a mission of creating 50 crore skilled people by 2022,” added Mukherjee.

On education,the finance minister said India’s access to higher education was still below international standards.

“Our endeavour is to provide expanded access to higher education by the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan by setting up 30 new Central universities. This initiative,along with the establishment of 370 new colleges,would address regional imbalances and provide a platform for inclusive education in the country,” he said.

Meanwhile,students and parents were visibly excited for the ceremony,as many were seen posing for the shutterbugs outside the venue.

Sidelights
* A documentary was screened at the convocation for the first time. The 15-minute film was prepared by the School of Communication Studies on Panjab University,its history,origin,developments and achievements.
* A special Syndicate meeting was called in the morning to approve the graduation degree to Rajpal Singh,captain of the Indian hockey team.
* Pranab Mukherjee gave the slip to the media waiting for him after the convocation by saying: “I would talk after the function (at PHD Chambers)”.
* Though the Indian hockey team did not win the World Cup,Rajpal Singh was awarded with a Golden Cup trophy by the Panjab University V-C.
* Mementos of the Golden Temple in Amritsar were presented to Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia and Pranab Mukherjee.
* A minor protest by parents was witnessed when security guards allegedly stopped them from taking bags and cell phones inside the venue. Dean Students’ Welfare (DSW) Naval Kishore,however,intervened and resolved the issue. Finally,parents were only asked to switch off their mobiles and were allowed to take their bags along.