More autonomy is being given to educational institutions so that they can take decisions based on their needs

Continuous qualitative and quantitative efforts are being made to turn India into a global hub for higher education, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said.

Addressing the Centenary Convocation 2020 of the University of Mysore today through video conference, he said continuous efforts are being made so that India’s education system caters to the needs of the 21st century wherein infrastructure creation and structural reforms were given special focus.

The Prime Minister noted that 16 Indian Institutes of Information Techology (IIIT), 7 Indian Istitutes of Management (IIM), and eight All India Insitutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have either been established or are in the process of being created in India, between 2014 and 2020.

“In the last 6 years, on average, a new Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) has been opened every year. One of them is also at Dharwad, Karnataka,” he said.

The Prime Minister said efforts in higher education over the last six years are not limited to only opening new institutions, but work has also been done on governance reforms in them to ensure gender equality and social inclusiveness.

He noted that more autonomy is being given to such institutions as well so that they can take decisions according to their needs.

Talking about the New Education Policy, the Prime Minister said it would give new impetus by bringing about fundamental changes in the entire education sector. He said the focus of the National Education Policy 2020 is multidimensional to make our youth competitive through a flexible and adaptable education system.

The University of Mysore was established in 1916 and was the first university in Karnataka as well as the sixth university in the country.

The Prime Minister said the University of Mysore is the center of the great education system of ancient India, the aspirations and capabilities of future India, and has realized the vision of "Rajarshi" Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and M. Visvesvaraya.

Prime Minister Modi took to his Twitter account to share the video of the address.



In his concluding remarks, the Prime Minister urged the University of Mysore to innovate according to the new emerging situation. He urged the institute to focus on Incubation Centers, Technology Development Centers, 'Industry-academia linkage', and 'Interdisciplinary research '.

He requested the university to promote research on local culture, local art, and other social issues along with related global and contemporary issues.