Chennai : The quality of higher education leaves a lot to be desired and it remains a major concerned which needs to be addressed. Expressing concern over the state of education in the country, vice president M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said even though India increased the number of educational institutions, quality of professional education is a major concern even today.

“Before Independence in India, access to higher education was very limited and elitist. Since independence, the growth has been very impressive. More than 850 universities and more than 40,000 colleges are offering various programmes in India,” Naidu said. Addressing the 9th Annual Convocation of Vels Institute of Science, Technology and Advanced Studies (VISTAS) here, Naidu said “though we have expanded the number of higher education institutions, the quality of higher professional education, remains a major concern. Various studies and surveys have raised concern over the learning outcomes and employability of Indian graduates.”

We need constant reforms to the educational system and ensure that the higher education institutions deliver high quality education.

Pointing out the new age technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence and 3D printing Naidu called upon the students to outpace this change.

India is a young nation with 65% of our population being below 35 years. Every year almost 1 crore youth join the job market. It is the demographic dividend we as a nation can ill-afford to lose.

“The faculty members shall have to be abreast with the latest technological developments. You must become more agile and alert to stay ahead of the knowledge curve,” Naidu said.