The Hindu : Give technical education to rural poor, says Kalam

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 02, 2003

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Give technical education to rural poor, says Kalam

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI AUG. 1. The President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, today underlined the need to make technical education available to the rural poor and emphasised that economic development of rural areas would contribute to a developed India.

"Starting an engineering institution in India is not a big event as it is becoming a commercial venture... engineering education is not affordable even for the lower middle class, what to talk of people below poverty line'', Mr. Kalam said in his address after dedicating the JSS Academy of Technical Education Complex, run by the JSS Mahavidyapeetha, at Noida, on the outskirts of the capital.

The President hoped that the institution would set an example in providing affordable quality engineering education to all sections. He urged the Jagadguru Sri Shivarathri Deshikendra, who heads the peetha, to spread quality education to "difficult" areas where it was not available.

Turning to students' role in nation-building, Mr. Kalam said there was a road map to achieve the goal of transforming India into a developed nation by 2020. There were five areas for simultaneous development and they included agriculture and food processing; education and healthcare; information and communication technology; infrastructure development including river network and self-reliance in critical technologies.

For achieving this, institutions must have the capacity for research, use high technology, creativity and innovation, particularly transfer of knowledge, entrepreneurial and moral leadership.

Sharing his experience of extensive travels within the country, interaction with a cross-section of people and many religious places and houses of worship, Mr. Kalam said, "religions are like exquisite gardens, full of surpassing beauty and tranquillity... but they are islands. If a way is found to connect these islands with love and compassion in a `garland project', for the new millennium, India would be a happy and prosperous country".

Mr. Kalam asked the students passing out of the Academy to dedicate themselves to the mission of a developed India and work on the project of providing urban amenities in rural areas.

In his welcome address, Sri Shivarathri Deshikendra Mahaswamiji, outlined the contribution of the founder of the Suttur Math in Karnataka and the vision of his other predecessor, the late Jagadguru Sri Shivarathri Rajendra Swamiji who dreamt of educating the masses and took up constructive programmes in the field of education, spiritual revival and propagation of art and culture. The function was attended by Sr. Sri Shivakumar Swamiji of Sri Siddaganga Math and Sri Siddhesswara Swamiji of Bijapur and the Uttar Pradesh Governor, Vishnukant Shastri.

The Karnataka Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, Union Ministers, George Fernandes, V. Sreenavasa Prasad, Basangouda R. Patil (Yatnal), Ashok Pradhan and Sanjay Paswan, MPs and MLAs from Karnataka were present.

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