Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, addressing the 99th Annual Meet and National Conference of Vice Chancellors in Uttar Pradesh, paid tribute to Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his Balidan Diwas and praised the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A as a long-awaited correction of historical injustice in Jammu & Kashmir. He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for upholding the constitutional vision of “Ek Vidhan, Ek Nishan, Ek Pradhan.”
He lauded the National Education Policy 2020 as a transformative milestone, born of widespread public input and reflecting India’s civilizational ethos. Describing education as a great equalizer, Dhankhar emphasized its power to decimate inequity and invigorate democracy.
He called on universities to be crucibles of innovation, not mere degree dispensers, and said Vice-Chancellors must ensure campuses provide space for dissent, discussion, and democratic debate. Highlighting India’s need to shed dependency on Western intellectual templates, he urged the creation of world-class greenfield institutions in underserved regions, especially in areas like AI, climate science, and quantum technology.
The Vice-President stressed that universities must prepare students to make bold, impossible choices, and positioned education as a strategic national asset essential not only for development but for national security. He concluded by urging academic leaders to resist the commodification of learning and uphold affordability and access for all.
