By IANS
Jammu : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday said that he hoped one of the intended 30 central universities would be set up in Jammu and Kashmir to give a fillip to higher education system in the state.
Speaking at Jammu University where he was presented an honorary doctorate of letters (D. Litt), Manmohan Singh said while the state government had taken new initiatives to improve the educational system, “much more needs to be done, both in terms of access as well as the quest for excellence”.
The prime minister referred to the recent report of the Knowledge Commission – recommending a vast expansion of higher education system in India.
“I have recently announced that we intend to establish 30 new central universities across the country. I would like at least one of them to be in this state,” Singh said.
Emphasising his determination to solve the problem of unemployment in the state, Manmohan Singh insisted that it was “essential to keep upgrading the skills, build first-rate infrastructure and ensure top quality teaching and training”.
He also proposed to set up knowledge centres – fully equipped with the latest IT – at the district headquarters level.
“These centres be fully networked and offer courses that would upgrade skills to a world-class level, especially in the field of software where there is a huge shortage of professionals,” he suggested.
“Students from the centres would be so well trained that they would be able to secure employment anywhere, from Srinagar to the Silicon Valley.
“The universities in the state can be the nodal institutions for managing these knowledge centres,” he said.