SILCHAR, March 15 - If Mumbai is the western gateway of India, Assam is certainly the eastern gateway of the country to the south East Asian nation, said Prof Sanjay V Deshmukh, eminent scientist and Vice Chancellor of Mumbai University.
Prof Deshmukh, in his address on �Education in the Fourth Industrial Revolution� during the 15th convocation of Assam University Silchar, said Assam is strategically vital for prosperous ties with the international fraternity, particularly the southeast Asian nations in terms of ushering in peace, harmony, trade and commerce.
In his words, in the present day internet-dominated information savvy world, an in-depth analysis of higher education scenario of the nation is a must in the larger context of Asian countries. Internet speed in India is like the Mithi River in Mumbai. But soon it will pick up pace, much like the mighty Brahmaputra. The Fourth Industrial Revolution, which includes the Internet of Things, drones, robotics and technocratic intelligence, shall transform the world and the education sector will not remain untouched.
Emphasising the need to forge ahead as a cohesive unit, Prof Deshmukh said India is rapidly urbanising and it is expected that by 2030, over 25 percent of the population will migrate from villages to the cities with more opportunities to offer. It is high time for the universities in India and educators to get connected with each other, harness resources and enhance knowledge and avoid duplication of efforts. There must be constant research and development work to improve the understanding of the world.
Meanwhile, Vice Chancellor of Assam University Prof Dilip Chandra Nath said that the convocation has been called to confer degrees to as many as 10,008 candidates, including PhD, MPhil, Post-graduate, Integrated course, Diploma and three-year Degree, Bed and LLB. Altogether 3,300 candidates attended the convocation to receive their degrees, while the university also conferred degrees to candidates in absentia as well. Also, degrees were awarded to the passed-out MBBS students of 2014 and 2015.
It may be mentioned that MBBS students will be awarded degrees by Sankardev Medical University from 2018 onwards.
