Re-think on higher education is obligation: Mauritius president

President of Mauritius Rajkeswur Purryag on Monday said a constant re-think on the processes of higher education was not an obsession but an obligation for it to remain relevant.

Addressing the fourth convocation of the Lovely Professional University (LPU) near Jalandhar, President Purryag said the challenge before society was to ensure that higher education being imparted to students not only kept pace with times but was also relevant.

"In the world of education, as the boundaries of knowledge explode and expand, no academic system, however deeply rooted, can claim to be stable. Therefore, a constant rethink of higher education is not an obsession, but rather an obligation for maintaining relevance. That which is known can no longer withstand challenge," Purryag said.

"In many disciplines, what is taught and how it is taught, are both stalked by the threat of obsolescence. In many fields, the shelf-life of knowledge can, indeed, be very short. This places a high burden on our higher education institutions," he said, adding that institutions like LPU were taking up the challenge to impart international quality education to students.

Purryag said students now were "not only competing with their counterpart next door and the next schools, but rather with students around the globe".

"We are at present witnessing massive internationalisation and even globalisation of academic disciplines such as science, economics and politics."

On the occasion, Purryag was conferred a honorary doctorate (Honoris Causa) degree of the university for his efforts in the fields of advancement of international peace, harmony and global welfare and brotherhood.

Governor of Punjab and Haryana Kaptan Singh Solanki, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Lovely Group chairman Ramesh Mittal and LPU chancellor Ashok Mittal were present on the occasion.

The two-day convocation (April 20-21) ceremony will see nearly 30,000 students getting degrees and awards.

President Purryag arrived in Punjab on Sunday.

He offered prayers at the holiest of Sikh shrines Harmandar Sahib, popularly known as the Golden Temple, and the Hindu shrine of Durgiana Mandir in Amritsar.

He also witnessed the retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah joint check post between India and Pakistan on Sunday.