For more access to higher education, Digital University in the offing: President

Guwahati, Feb 26 (IANS) President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday said that to make higher education more accessible, the Central government has decided to establish a Digital University to provide access to students across the country for world-class quality universal education with personalised learning experience at the doorsteps of students.

Addressing the 19th Convocation of the Tezpur University, the President said the University can become an active stakeholder in this Digital University initiative, specially by providing high quality digital content in Assamese and other languages of the northeast.

The President said that Assam has done a commendable job in conserving biodiversity. Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, as also the Elephant Reserve are impressive examples of conservation, Kovind said adding that conservation must be the watch word for every citizen, especially the student community.

He appreciated the innovative solutions provided by Tezpur University for making safe drinking water reach many villages in Assam. He said that the scope of the university's engagement with villages should be further expanded.

Kovind said that the National Education Policy 2020 which was released during the pandemic contains specific focus on digital education with the help of technology. Noting that the northeastern states give high priority to organic farming, the President said the Tezpur University can play a major role in branding and marketing of agricultural produce of this region.

He said that under the 'Prime Minister-Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme' the varsity got the approval for setting up an incubation centre to process jackfruit and ready to eat cereals-based products.

Referring to the unique Joha rice of Assam which is known for its excellent taste and aroma, the President said that universities of Assam can help the farmers by branding, popularising and marketing this unique variety of rice. There are many such agricultural products that can be promoted, he added.

Assam Governor Prof. Jagdish Mukhi who is also the Chancellor of the University, said that Tezpur University was created as a result of the Assam Movement which was a manifestation of the identity consciousness of the people of this region.

Since its inception, the University has been able to build an impressive infrastructure of higher education and research facilities.

In the last couple of years, the rankings secured by the University in the assessments carried out by different national and international agencies reflected its impressive performance, the Governor said.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in his speech said that as an offshoot of the Assam Accord, which marked the culmination of Assam Agitation, Tezpur University has established itself as a centre of excellence.

"We will build a state-of-the-art sports complex at the varsity," the Chief Minister said.

The Convocation was attended by Assam Education Minister Dr Ranoj Pegu, Vice Chancellor of Tezpur University Prof Vinod Kumar Jain among others.