“The government is keen on addressing the issues of minority education, especially the literacy of Muslims as they comprise only 14 per cent of Indian population and they also belong to most educationally backward community.

As a step to boost the minority education, the ministery of Minority Affairs has drawn a project which includes establishment of Universities in Muslim dominated areas,” said Union Minority Affairs Minister K Rehman Khan. He was delivering the convocation address of the Yenepoya University.

Rehman Khan said that the Government schemes directed towards minority education does not alone bring the result. In order to make the projects successful, the coordination between public and private sectors needs to be observed.

Stating that centres of academic excellance make a civilised country, he felt that universities should cater to the need of building developmental strategy of a nation which is important for a developing country like India. “Through a good university education system, we can build a strong and progressive nation. Ancient India was also known for its most prestegious universities like Takshila and Nalanda,” he said.

Addressing the graduates, he said that they should constantly develop their core competence in the discipline through sustained research, innovation, foresight and capacity building to earn a decent living. At the same time, one also needs to develop a mindset that deepens a sense of public responbsibility, guiding one’s actions towards solving the problems confronting the common man in the remote and backward regions.

Yenepoya Unieversity Chancellor Yenepoya Abdulla Kunhi awarded degrees to 40 MD/MS, 40 MDS, 17 M.Sc Nursing, 2 MPT and 22 post basic BSc Nursing students. Degree certificates were distributed to all degree holders. The Convocation was followed by the graduation day.