By IANS
Mumbai : Seeking to bring about “a qualitative leap forward” in the country’s higher education and research, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday announced that the government has approved the setting up of several new institutes of higher learning across the country.
The government have approved the setting up of five new Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, eight new Indian Institutes of Technology, seven new Indian Institutes of Management, and 20 new Indian Institutes of Information Technology, Manmohan Singh said addressing the graduation ceremony of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC’s) Training School here.
“On the 15th of August I said from the ramparts of the Red Fort that our nation is today ready for a new revolution in education. We seek a quantum leap in the availability of educational opportunities for our children and our youth at all levels of the pyramid of knowledge and training,” he said.
“We have effected a major increase in elementary and secondary education. We are now increasing the capacity of our higher education and research system. It is not just a quantitative leap forward that I seek in education, but also a qualitative leap forward,” said the prime minister, who is on a daylong visit to this metropolis.
Speaking about the declining interest in basic sciences in colleges and universities, Manmohan Singh said: “We are working to revitalize existing scientific institutions and creating modern new institutes of excellence. But at the end of the day the intellectual imagination of our youth will be fired by great names and great achievements. We need new role models in our scientific community. Our scientific community must create a culture of excellence that will attract the best talent. We should nurture, celebrate and reward merit and achievement.”