Universities can lead a path to freedom: Subhas Sarkar at 4th World Universities Summit 2024

NEW DELHI: OP Jindal Global University (JGU) begins the 4th edition of the World Universities Summit (WUS) 2024 today, February 19. Union minister of state for education, Subhas Sarkar, inaugurated the summit with the theme of "Universities of the Future: A Global Partnership for Social Justice and Sustainable Development."

The three-day summit, organized by the International Institute for Higher Education Research and Capacity Building (IIHEd), brings together over 120 education leaders from 20 countries and more than 100 leading universities worldwide.

The summit will be a hybrid event, commencing with two days of 25 virtual thematic sessions and concluding with a higher education leaders conclave at the JGU University campus on February 21, 2024.

World Universities Summit 2024: Role of universities

While greeting the global world universities summit audience, and referring to Indian national youth icon, Swami Vivekananda, Sarkar said, “We must have man-making, life making and character-building education.” “We need to reimagine the universities of the future for social responsibility, community engagement and sustainable development,” he added.

Quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he urged all listeners to reflect on the fact that “Universities play a crucial role in giving direction to any nation.”

While concluding his speech, Sarkar conveyed to the audience that the philosophy of our country is based on “sustainable practices” and “Sarva Mukti” as the vision of education. The universities of the future should lead this path towards freedom for all and sustainability, he said.

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The guests present at the summit include Pankaj Mittal, secretary general of the Association of Indian Universities; Virander S Chauhan, former chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and Ashwin Fernandes, executive director, QS Quacquarelli Symonds India. They emphasized the importance of universities in promoting sustainable development goals, preparing students for the future of work, and fostering global citizenship.

Founding vice chancellor of OP Jindal Global University, C Raj Kumar, highlighted the connection between India's aspiration for world-class universities and the vision of "Viksit Bharat@2047," stressing the role of universities in shaping the future of youth.