Job-oriented study plus loans needed: Kalam to UGC

Asking the UGC to hone the entrepreneurial skill of students, Kalam pointed out that the country is producing at least three million graduates every year. ‘‘The college education (has) to get oriented towards setting up of enterprises which will provide them (students) creativity, freedom and ability to generate wealth,’’ he told an audience which included HRD Murli Manohar Joshi, several governors and eminent academics. However, the most interesting suggestion that came from the President, which directly addresses today’s reality and can go a long way to help students for higher education, was educational loans.

He said that the UGC should take the initiative to evolve a simple and easy means to implement educational loan scheme in collaboration with banks to enable meritorious students to pursue higher education without disruption.

The President said that venture capital provided by the banks can help market products of young entrepreneurs who can exploit the buying power of the consumers.

A friendly South-Asian neighbourhood will also go a long way in providing a bigger market, ‘‘genuine border trade can improve if we have a friendly border in all sectors,’’ he said.

He also called for an integrated programme at graduate and post-graduate levels for developing technologies, to create and sustain provision of urban amenities in rural areas, making universities a partner in national programmes such as linking of rivers, desalination of water through nuclear technology and solar energy development.