Address by Governor at the Convocation Ceremony of the Durgadevi Saraf Institute of Management Studies
Address by Shri CH. Vidyasagar Rao, Governor of Maharashtra at the Convocation Ceremony of the Durgadevi Saraf Institute of Management Studies at Rajasthani Sammelan Campus, S.V.Road, Malad (W), Mumbai 400064 at 1730 hrs on Saturday 12th May 2018
Dr Suhas Pednekar, Vice Chancellor, University of Mumbai, Shri Ashok Saraf, President, Rajasthani Sammelan Education Trust, Shri Kailashji Kejriwal, Honorary Secretary, Dr N.M. Kondap, Director General, Dr. C. Babu, Director, Durgadevi Saraf Institute of Management Studies, Prof. Sharad Kumar, Dean, Ms. Kavita Darji, Registrar, Members of the Trust, distinguished invited guests, members of Media, learned faculty members, staff and graduating students, ladies and gentlemen,
I am indeed delighted to be with you on the occasion of the Convocation Ceremony of the Durgadevi Saraf Institute of Management Studies.
At the outset, I congratulate all the graduating students who have completed their Management training programmes successfully and will be moving on to pursue higher studies or embark on a new career.
It is a matter of great happiness that the Rajasthani Sammelan Education Trust is completing 70 years of its distinguished service to society this year.
During the last seven decades, the Trust has played a very vital role in promoting education and creating an informed society.
I was pleased to note that the educational institutions started under the aegis of the Trust are providing quality education from the primary level to post graduation. The higher education institutions run by the Trust are providing education in the fields of Commerce, Management, Information Technology and Media Studies. Apart from its educational programmes, the Rajasthani Sammelan Trust has catered to the social and humanitarian needs of the community which is truly remarkable.
I congratulate Shri Ashok Saraf, President, Rajasthani Sammelan Education Trust and all members for their services to society and the State at large. May I also take this opportunity to salute the founding fathers of the Trust and their worthy successors who managed the institution with dedication and commitment.
Dear friends,
The city of Mumbai has evolved and transformed itself into a great metropolis over a period of three centuries. At every stage in its evolution, the city has been built and enriched by people belonging to different States who came here and made it their home. In this connection, I must say, the contribution of the people of Rajasthan to the making of the city of Mumbai is disproportionately high. The peaceful and industrious people from Rajasthan have made handsome contributions to Mumbai in the field of business, commerce, banking, finance, education, philanthropy and so on.
I was amazed to know that the people of Rajasthan have started hostels for students from Rajasthan who wish to pursue CA, CS and other professional courses in Mumbai. This has not only benefitted large number of students, but it has also benefitted the city and the State. The Rajasthani community in Mumbai deserves our wholehearted compliments for their wonderful work. I have come here to tell the Trustees that I am proud of you, Mumbai is proud of you and Maharashtra is proud of you.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The Indian Higher Education system is the third largest in the world in terms of student enrollment, next only to China and US. In the years to come, India will emerge as one of the largest education destinations where students from various countries will be enrolling for various programmes.
As the higher education system grows with diversity, it also brings in challenges about the quality of programs, faculty, accreditation, international linkages, research & publications.
As Chancellor of 20 public universities in Maharashtra having enrollment of 3 million students, I am deeply concerned about the uneven quality of higher education in our country. While there are a few centres of excellence in the country, both in the public and private domain, a large majority of our higher education institutions are mediocre, paying little attention to quality.
At a time when India is aspiring to become a developed country, we need an education system that will maintain high standards of education and produce leaders in all disciplines.
Dear friends,
There was a time when Indian education system was regarded as the most coveted in the world. India gave the world one of the greatest civilizations. We produced great academic leaders in every stream. History informs us that Indian Mathematician Bhaskaracharya was the first to calculate accurately the time taken for the Earth to orbit the Sun, as 365.2588 days. Indians gave the world the concept of zero. We gave the world Yoga, we gave the holistic system of medicine – Ayurveda.
One of the notable scientists of the ancient India was Acharya Kanada who is said to have devised the atomic theory, centuries before John Dalton was born. He speculated the existence of anu or a small particle, much like an atom.
Unfortunately, we went through long spells of foreign dominations during which India not only lost its economic clout, but also lost a great education system that promoted innovation. The challenge is to revive the spirit of enquiry and innovation.
The beginning will have to be made by rebuilding our institutions of learning and higher learning with focus on quality and excellence. For this to happen we need commitment to excellence from managements.
Indian universities and educational institutions will have to engage with the best of educational institutions both nationally and internationally. Business and professional education institutions will have to forge alliances and partnerships with business organisations to gain insight into the needs of organizations.
Faculty quality is an extremely important factor in attaining excellence. Nurturing and sustaining quality faculty with industry experience, teaching ability, international exposure, and research experience has become extremely important. Today barring a few honorable exceptions, many educational institutions are functioning with faculty strength of 50 per cent of the sanctioned posts or even less, which is really scary.
I do feel that every reputed institution should develop a robust visiting faculty programme, use online teaching tools and hire retired teachers. I am of the view that the best of post graduate students, having inclination and aptitude for teaching, should be nurtured and hired for teaching positions in the same institution.
Dear Graduating Students,
Today, apart from ‘innovation’, the other buzzword is ‘start-up’.
India has taken big strides in creating a startup ecosystem with the launch of the ‘Start up India’ programme in 2016.
According to the latest Global Innovation Index, India stands at 60th place and is the fourth largest start up economy in the world. Israel on the other hand is a leader, next only to USA.
The geographical area of Israel is 22145 square kilometers. Maharashtra alone has an area which is 13 times bigger than that of Israel. Population of Israel is 84 lakh. The population of greater Mumbai itself is double than that. As of 2017, Nobel Prizes have been awarded to 892 individuals of whom 201 or 22.5% were Jews !
One of the reasons for Israel gaining the reputation as a start up nation, is the active encouragement of government, private enterprises and universities to innovation. The country invests 4.3 per cent of its GDP on Research and Development. Not surprisingly more than 350 multinational companies such as Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft etc have research centres in Israel.
Last week, I had convened a meeting of various stakeholders in Raj Bhavan to create a start up hub in Maharashtra. I do feel that creating a start up hub will also have a positive impact on the culture of research, innovation and enterprise in the State.
Dear friends
When you work for the nation, you give your best at your workplace. I will appeal to you to work with the spirit of nationalism. Let us not think in terms of ‘salary packages’. Let us, instead think, how best we can serve the nation.
India has already emerged as the youngest nation in the world. By 2020, the average age of an Indian will be 29 years, which is 8 years younger than the average age of a Chinese or an American. Youthful population is our biggest strength. However our national challenges are equally daunting.
We need the power of innovation, research, enterprise and application of all these, to overcome the challenges faced by the nation such as poverty, hunger, disease, unemployment, energy, water security and others. Needless to say, I have great expectations from each one of you.
Convocation is the most important event both for the institute and for the student. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to you and also to your parents and teachers.
I am pleased to note that DSIMS is establishing linkages with some of the foreign universities and also moving forward towards accreditation, both nationally and internationally. I am glad to hear that DSIMS is growing vertically in its rankings and performance.
I am confident that under the leadership of Shri Ashok Saraf, DSIMS will become one of the most preferred Business Schools in the country.
Before I conclude, I would like to congratulate the faculty, staff and students who have received commendation for their excellent performance.
I wish all of you a bright future and wish the Trust Godspeed in its future endeavours.
Thank you
Jai Hind ! Jai Maharashtra !!