End menace of corruption, governor urges students

NAGPUR: Speaking in the backdrop of Gandhian Anna Hazare's nationwide movement against corruption that has hogged the global limelight, Maharashtra governor K Sankaranarayanan on Saturday exhorted the students to eradicate the menace of corruption from the country. Speaking at a function to mark the 125 years of Vasantrao Naik Institute of Arts and Social Sciences, popularly known as Morris College, he stressed on changing the mindset to tackle the problem.
Deputy speaker of state legislative assembly Vasant Purke, guardian minister Shivajirao Moghe, minister of state for higher education DP Sawant, vice-chancellor of Nagpur University Vilas Sapkal and mayor Archana Dehankar shared the dais.
The governor deliberated on corruption and need for reforms in education system which is unable to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, and to tackle unemployment in the country. He emphasised that though there are many corrupt politicians, there are some who are morally upright. "The government does not run without politics and politicians," he said. "There is no prosperity without a change. Our economy is very strong. Money recovered from corrupt honchos should be invested for the uplift of poor," he said.
Sankaranarayanan suggested inclusion of women in power to stem corruption. Stressing the need for a change in pedagogy and flaws in education system, he said that innumerable colleges were short of qualified teachers. "Many colleges have been opened without proper infrastructure. Some of them don't have vocational training courses to ensure employability of a majority of students," he said.
According to him, the link between education system and a clean democracy is remarkable. "To empower democracy, we need a good education system. We need a character formation right from elementary stage to reduce greed for taking bribe."
Giving some disturbing statistics, Sankaranarayanan said that around five million people were still unemployed in India. He questioned why a majority of students was opting only for medical, engineering or IT fields. "Politics is also a field for students to pursue. We need more politicians, especially when the crusade against corruption is at its peak," he said.
Upgraded RSC
planetarium opened
Inaugurating the upgraded planetarium at Raman Science Centre, Sankaranarayanan said that it was unfortunate that despite making progress, India failed to keep pace with changing times in science, particularly in education and research. Stressing the need for massive investment in science and technology, not just by the government but also by the private sector and industries, Sankaranarayanan urged the teachers to popularise science by updating their knowledge and understanding in a manner that teaching can go beyond classroom.