Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (SP)
Udupi, Mar 16: Renowned scientist and former chairman of University Grants Commission, Prof Yash Pal, said that financial transactions should never be the main activity of a university. “Universities should be centres for spreading knowledge,” he added.
He was delivering the ‘T A Pai Memorial Lecture’ on the subject of ‘Education in Future’ at a programme organized at Hotel Valley View Fortune Inn in Manipal on Monday March 15, organized by T A Pai Management Institute (TAPMI). He felt that the coaching institutes have been destroying the creative instincts of the children, and the preparatory trainings they impart to the students for competitive entrance examinations ultimately claim the vast thinking capacity and creativity of the students as a casualty. “Model science is not knowledge. It is improper to bring up children in an uniform way. The children should be encouraged to learn on their own, independently,” he strongly felt.
“We are now creating a world, every aspect of which is bound and defined by law, where knowledge is not needed. Genuine knowledge is the integrated knowledge of scientific, cultural and technical aspects. For driving corruption and interference of politicians in education, the universities should be given total autonomy, a step that will support creativity. The inner potential of a child should be identified and encouraged to bloom. Experiments help people to learn science and proper laboratories are needed for this purpose. But, the rural children are deprived of proper scientific education because of lack of laboratories there, and hence they tend to stay away from the subject of science. The teaching should create an interest and eagerness in learning. There is a need to strike coordination between teaching science, art, technology etc., through coordination, and the way the children should be taught, can be learnt from children themselves,” Yash pal explained.
Manipal University pro vice chancellor, Prof H S Ballal and TAPMI director, Dr Saji Gopinath, were present.