National Seminar on “Education in the New Millennium: Challenges and Issues” at AMU

From AMU News And Views

Aligarh February 28: Inaugurating a two day national seminar on "Education in the New Millennium: Challenges and Issues" organized by the Department of Education, the Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University Prof. P. K. Abdul Azis pointed out that in this globally changing scenario the educations are concerned with new challenges which need reform especially in techniques of teaching and in curriculum designing so that well equipped and efficient teachers may be produced to face the challenges of the new millennium. He further said that the theme of the Seminar is highly relevant at this moment, when there is an overwhelming concern regarding the quality and significance of education in the new millennium.

Professor Azis said that the Department of Education is one of the oldest departments of the University and has produced thousands of teachers to provide better education. He regretted that this department could not be used as the laboratory of University's maintained schools.

He said that the Muslim community is the most educationally backward community of this country and the University has taken a historic decision to establish five special Centres in different parts of the country and these Centres would be replica of the Aligarh Muslim University.

Delivering the keynote address Prof. Mohammad Akhtar Siddiqui, Chairperson, National Council for Teachers' Education, Government of India said that access of higher education has also to improve so as to make it available to all sections of the society equitably and with reasonable quality. At present 11% of the eligible population is enrolled in higher education programmes which is still less than average enrolment in higher education in the developing countries i.e. 11.25%. Eleventh Five Year Plan envisages enhancing the enrolment upto 15%. Seventy percent students enrolled in graduate programmes in colleges are pursuing general courses which have no link with the trained manpower requirement in the country. The issue needs to be addressed urgently.

He announced that the NCTE is currently engaged in bringing out a framework for the teacher education curriculum which will try to ensure that education processes in teacher education institutions are complemented with a desirable rigour and quality, the qualification of teacher educators and other norms and standards for training programmes are also being reviewed.

While welcoming the delegates from all parts of the country, Professor Roquiya Zainuddin, Chairperson of the Department of Education, AMU said that the purpose of education is to produce good human beings who are adjusted within themselves, can work for the welfare of the society and nation at large but despite increasing number of schools, colleges and universities, we have not been able to achieve what should have been achieved during the post independence era.

She said that it does not raise any doubt in that an over emphasis on materialistic gains/values can never produce a Mahatma Gandhi, a Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and a Tagore. We need selfless leaders to run our society, we need creative individuals who are not simply a machine producing information after information but students who are problem solvers, nation builders and have a global vision.

On this occasion AMU Vice Chancellor Prof. P. K. Abdul Azis released a book authored by Professor Roquiya Zainuddin. Dr. Nikhat Nasreen conducted the programme.

(Dr. Rahat Abrar)

Public Relations' Officer


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