Visakhapatnam: On the occasion of 39th Foundation Day of Gitam Deemed to be University, former President of India Pranab Mukherjee was honoured with Gitam Foundation Award on Saturday.
As the chief guest, he unveiled the statue of Gitam founder president late M.V.V.S. Murthi at the campus. He also presented the Best Teacher and Best Non-Teaching Staff Awards to the recipients.
While delivering a lecture, he said that Indian institutions must pursue excellence in every sphere of academic activity, be it teaching, evaluation, research or project work and improvements in academic management.
He said: “Indian universities have the potential to be leading institutions in the world if we ensure academic freedom. Research and innovation are keystones for widening the country’s production potential. Unfortunately, our country lacks investment in research.”
The research and development expenditure is a mere 0.8 per cent of the GDP in India, while it is 3.6 per cent in Japan, 2.7 per cent in the US and 2 per cent in China. Higher academic and research institutions must be the hotbeds of research activity.
To build a sound research eco-system, the former president calls for a slew of measures like collaborative partnerships and better financial incentives for attracting and retaining research talent. He further asked to imbibe a scientific temper and spirit of inquiry among the students.
