29th Convocation of Gauhati University held; Jagdish Mukhi asks varsity to ensure success of NEP 2020

GUWAHATI: Assam Governor Prof Jagdish Mukhi on Friday said that in view of rolling out of the New Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020), Gauhati University should act as a catalyst to fulfil the objectives of the education policy. It should also offer integrated under-graduate and post-graduate courses to help the students acquire diverse employable skills in the changing academic scenario primarily unleashed by NEP.

Speaking on the occasion of the 29th convocation of Gauhati University, Governor Mukhi said that in the backdrop of NEP, Gauhati University needs to take actions to integrate technology into all levels of education in order to improve classroom processes, support teachers' professional development, enhance educational access for disadvantaged groups and streamline educational planning, administration and management. He said that the existing faculties of Arts, Science, Commerce, Law, Engineering, Fine Arts, Management and Technology are all likely to offer strong foundations for the radical changes that are on the pipeline in the wake of NEP. The multidisciplinary character reflected in all these departments will be an advantage to reap the dividends of NEP.

Congratulating Gauhati University on its 75 years of service to the State, Mukhi said that in line with Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the university should start Vidya Daan Ka Amrit Mahotsav to celebrate the contributions of the university in creating human resources of highest standards. Paying rich tributes to the stalwarts like Gopinath Bordoloi, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Madhab Chandra Bezbaruah, Bhubaneswar Barua, Krishna Kanta Handique and many others who inspired the future of the university, Mukhi said that steps should be taken to maintain a perfect balance between the resourceful past and promising future of Gauhati University. He also lauded the university for taking the lead in fulfilling the local aspirations and at the same time keeping its eyes fixed on national and global concerns to lend its helping hands.

According to an official communiqué, the Governor also said that while Gauhati University has been doing well and there is a steady rise in its actual growth, it is important to identify the areas where there are lacunae and address these shortcomings judiciously. He, therefore, advocated for serious introspection, hard work and the strong will to address its weak areas so that the university can transform itself into a centre of excellence in academic and research areas. He also reiterated on the need for the university to play the role in meeting the educational needs of the state and region and to address the larger issues facing the nation and the globe.

The Governor also asked the Gauhati University fraternity to use its role and expertise to address the challenges like poverty, uneven access to education and healthcare, gender inequity and pollution. He said that as a social responsibility the university should give a way for the state to address these challenges to convert them into opportunities.

Mukhi called upon the graduates and research scholars to use their knowledge acquired in the university to make a difference to the lives of people in the society, especially those less privileged. He also asked them to strive for excellence in their chosen fields to bring laurels to the university, state as well as the nation.

The Chief Guest for the convocation was Prof KK Agarwal, Chairman of the National Board of Accreditation and former Vice Chancellor of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. He spoke of the potential that each student had in transforming their immediate environment in the best possible way.

The Vice Chancellor of Gauhati University, Prof Pratap Jyoti Handique while congratulating the students said that the university has put in place the timeline for the implementation of the NEP 2020 in a phased manner. It maintains its teaching, learning, research and extension activities and contributes to the overall economic socio cultural development in India.

As part of its strong social commitment for science, literature and culture of the region in the convocation, technocrat and institution builder Prof Dhirendra Nath Buragohain was awarded with the Degree of Science, Honoris Causa. Eminent author Sumantha Chaliha, litterateur Nahendra Padun and distinguished scholar of folk culture Dharamsingh Teron were awarded with the degree of Degree of Philosophy, Honoris Causa.

The University awarded degrees and diplomas to over 1,00,500 under-graduate students, 9,800 post-graduate students, 143 Master of Philosophy students and 633 PhDs.

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