President urges students to acquire proper eligibility to avail higher education opportunities

President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday urged students to attain proper eligibility to harness opportunities being provided for higher education.

The President was speaking at the renaming ceremony of Sagardighi Mahavidyalaya as Sagardighi Kamada Kinkar Smriti Mahavidyalaya at Sagardighi of Murshidabad district in West Bengal.

Mukherjee said that the opportunities for studying post graduate courses in AMU Centre Murshidabad, cannot be availed of unless students acquire the requisite qualification and are successful in the entrance examination.

Referring to the progress in the higher education sector during the 11th Five Year Plan, the President said the number of universities has been more than 735 and number of degree colleges has crossed 37,000.

Seven percent of youth in the age group of 18-24 are now getting higher education as compared to only 0.6 percent earlier.

The President also said that in knowledge based society, economic growth would be based on knowledge.

He asserted that teaching and learning must be linked to research and innovation; otherwise we will not be able to make use of our knowledge for welfare of society.

Lok Sabha MP and President Mukherjee's son Abhijit Mukherjee unveiled the renaming plaque of the college.