Coordinated efforts needed to improve quality of higher education: Mukherjee

President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday expressed disappointment over the quality of higher education in the country, and said there is no room for complacency.

Speaking at the 34th Annual Convocation of the University of Burdwan here today, Mukherjee said that India would be able to attain high economic growth and become a leader in the comity of nations only by developing a knowledge economy.

Pointing out that research is a neglected area in Universities, he quoted the National Knowledge Commission, from its Report in 2006, where it described the situation of higher education as a 'quiet crisis that runs deep'.

Mukherjee called for more coordinated efforts, while asserting that there is no dearth of talent in the faculty or students of the country

He said India was at the top of higher education in the world for almost 1800 years and students from foreign countries flocked to India.

Stressing on the fact that technology is power, Mukherjee called upon academia to give priority to research.