Students can't isolate themselves from events in world: Manmohan Singh

He said students must understand importance of relationship between themselves as individuals and society as a whole

At a time when the country is rife with debates on intolerance and nationalism, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Saturday that students cannot isolate themselves from what is happening in the outside world.

He was speaking at the ‘Bapu Gujarat Knowledge Village’, an educational institution run by senior Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela in Gandhinagar district.

“Students are an integral part of the social fabric. They must understand the importance of the relationship between themselves as individuals and society as a whole... the main occupation of students is studying. But, that does not give them the liberty to isolate themselves from the happenings in the world surrounding them,” he said.

Speaking on “Creating Role of Students in Future of India”, Singh said, “The youth of today has a bright vision for the future.” He felt that a good education system must also promote the value system enshrined in our Constitution.

Today’s youth wants a world free of poverty, unemployment, inequality and intolerance. “It is the role of our student population to create and spread awareness of the problems faced by our society,” Singh said. “Students should join hands with various decision-makers in the public and private sectors to discover and realise this beautiful dream,” he added.