Date:02/06/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/06/02/stories/2006060211560500.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Universities urged to focus on quality, encourage research

Staff Reporter

They should become centres of excellence: Veerendra Heggade

A LANDMARK FOR UNIVERSITY: (From left) P.S. Prabhakaran, Vice-Chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences; D. Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala, and V. Shantha, Chairperson, Cancer Institute, Chennai, at the un iversity's foundation day celebrations in Bangalore on Thursday. — Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

Bangalore: Universities should strive to become centres of excellence, Dharmadhikari of Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala D. Veerendra Heggade said here on Thursday.

Speaking at the Rajiv Gandhi University for Health Sciences (RGUHS) foundation day celebrations, Dr. Heggade appealed to universities to look beyond evolving syllabi and conducting examinations.

Quality

India, he said, had always been known for its outstanding universities, such as Takshila and Nalanda, and the quality of education imparted by them. But, of late, a number of educational institutions of doubtful quality had come up. Universities such as the RGUHS should give importance to the quality of graduates that passed out from them rather than the number of students, he said.

Research facilities

Dr. Heggade said universities and centres for higher education should encourage research. State governments should allocate funds to universities for improving research facilities. Dr. Heggade urged the Karnataka Government to provide adequate funds to the RGUHS to enable it to provide research grants to institutions.

He announced that the RGUHS had released research grants for the SDM Dental College and the SDM Ayurveda College, which are part of the trust run by him.

Delivering the "Dr. S. Kantha First Vice-Chancellor RGUHS endowment lecture" on "Containing cancer — five decades of experience at the cancer institute", V. Shantha, Chairperson, Cancer Institute, Chennai, said there was a paucity of experts in oncology as the Medical Council of India recognised it as a speciality only in 1983. There were not enough doctors to treat patients, she said and added that the problem had been caused by wrong policies. Shortage of seats in medical and dental colleges run by the Government had led to the mushrooming of private colleges, she added.

RGUHS Vice-Chancellor P.S. Prabhakaran was present.