Vice-Prez bats for women’s political empowerment at JNU convocation

New Delhi, November 11

Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu pitched on Monday for political empowerment of women by providing adequate reservation for them in Parliament and state legislatures.

At the third convocation ceremony of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), he expressed happiness over the fact that women constitute 51 per cent of the students in the institute because of special admission policy for them, and for those hailing from distant places and belonging to marginalised sections.

“I would also like to stress the need for political empowerment of women by providing adequate reservation for them in Parliament and state legislatures,” Naidu said.

The Vice President said it was a matter of pride that JNU was synonymous with academic excellence despite being in news for “wrong reasons” at times.  

Naidu asserted that the time has come for India to reemerge as a global hub of learning. “For this to happen, our universities and institutions of higher learning have to reorient their methods of teaching and focus more sharply on research. In Indian civilization, emphasis was always on a holistic integrated vision of education. We must bring back this multi-disciplinary approach to learning,” he added.

Urging the universities and institutions of higher learning to completely reorient their methods of teaching, Naidu wanted JNU and other universities in India to figure among the top-ranking global institutions.

The Vice-President observed that Indian civilization always laid emphasis on a holistic integrated vision of education. Urging universities like JNU to build on strengths and raise the bar, he said all-round excellence and the ability to lead the global agendas must be the aim. As many as 430 students were conferred PhD degree at the convocation. 

Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said universities like JNU were conceived and promoted to meet the educational aspirations of India’s youth.

“We have the opportunity to be proud that the university is not only successful in its objective but also playing a leading role in paving the intellectual path of India. I hope JNU will be dynamic towards the development and operation of useful and efficient courses. Taking full advantage of the new policies of the present government, we will use modern technology, so that more and more youth will get access to higher education,” he said.

While the convocation was underway, thousands of JNU students clashed with police outside the campus as they raised their voices against the administration’s “anti-student” policy. —PTI