Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday highlighted the rapid expansion of India’s higher education system during his Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort.
Comparing the higher education landscape before 2014 with the present, Modi said India had fewer than 350 universities between 2004 and 2014.
“Today, within just 10-12 years, nearly 650 new universities have been added, taking the total to close to 1,000,” he said.
advertisement
The Prime Minister presented the expansion as part of the government’s efforts to create more opportunities for India’s youth and strengthen the country’s education infrastructure.
FOREIGN DEGREES, MORE MEDICAL COLLEGES
Modi also pointed to the growing presence of foreign universities in India, saying arrangements have been made for Indian students to pursue degrees from foreign universities without leaving the country.
“Foreign universities are now coming to India,” he said. “Arrangements have also been made to enable our youth to earn degrees from foreign universities right here in India.”
He also highlighted the increase in medical colleges, saying their number has risen from around 400 before 2014 to nearly 850 today.
The expansion, he said, is part of creating more avenues for young Indians as the country works towards becoming a developed nation.
FROM CLASSROOMS TO STARTUPS AND AI
Modi linked the growth in higher education with a wider push towards technology and innovation among young Indians.
He said more than 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs have been established to encourage children to develop an interest in innovation and technology from a young age.
He also pointed to the growth of startups, saying India now has more than 2.5 lakh registered startups.
Turning to artificial intelligence, Modi announced that one crore young people will be trained in AI skills over the next year.
“We have decided that over the next one year, we will train one crore young people in AI skills,” he said, adding that the aim is to give India’s youth the capability to “lead in the world of AI”.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
