Experts for inclusive growth in higher education

During an interaction with the students at a day-long workshop on ‘Social justice in higher education,’ organised at Vidya Vardhaka college, he called for more and more efforts to bring socially and economically backward groups into the mainstream of higher education.

“The governments should give more importance to the disadvantaged groups,” he added.

Assadi, who is also a social scientist highlighted the growth of higher education and the contribution of the backward classes and other weaker groups between the Presidency regime and the Mandal II report presenting the facts and figures since independence.

In his keynote address at the inaugural of the workshop, Prof K C Basavaraju of the department of Economics, University of Mysore said the literacy rate of a country was the index of the human resource development.

Only 11 per cent of the youth enroll for the higher education in the country.  While, the enrollment of women in higher education is only 1.5 per cent out of the 11 per cent. The country should attain atleast 30 per cent enrollment in higher education to achieve the goal of becoming a developed nation. Women should also get equal opportunities on par with men in higher education, he said.

“The literacy rate in India is still not satisfactory. Presently, there are 20,000 colleges and 500 universities in the country. The country should have atleast 3000 universities and 40,000 colleges to help growth of the higher education sector,” Basavaraju said.
Earlier, secretary of Vidya Vardhaka Educational Institutions P Vishwanath inaugurated the workshop.

President Gundappa Gowda, Principal Shivaramu Kadanakuppe were present. The workshop was organised by the Pathway Cell of the Ford Foundation.

Dr H Marigowda, coordinator of Pathway Cell of Vidya Vardhaka college said the Cell aims to identify socially and economically backward class students and help them integrate better in higher learning.