• Stresses the importance of integrating liberal arts courses in STEM programmes
• Infuse a curiosity for arts and literature in children; Cannot ignore languages and social sciences in schools: VP.
• Humanities students must keep abreast of technological developments
• Shri Naidu calls for increased use of Indian languages at all levels of education and administration
• VP advocates learning as many Indian languages as possible, including Hindi
• VP expresses his concern over the decline in standards of debates in Parliament and State legislatures
• VP virtually inaugurates Centre for Advanced Study in Humanities at KREA University

Vice President Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu called for increasing multidisciplinarity in higher education to produce well-rounded individuals from universities and realize the full potential of our demographic dividend. He observed that many career trajectories will require employees to have vast knowledge in diverse fields in the coming years.

In this regard, Shri Naidu called for a revival of the liberal arts and their integration with the curriculum of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) courses. He mentioned that various assessments have shown that exposure to arts and social sciences results in enhanced creativity, improved critical thinking, higher social and moral awareness, and better student teamwork and communication skills. Such qualities are in high demand in the 21st-century economy where no sector of the economy works in a silo, he added.

Shri Naidu also underscored the importance of updating students from humanities backgrounds with the latest technological developments so that they can advance in their research studies.

At the virtual inauguration of the Moturi Satyanarayana Centre for Advanced Study in Humanities at KREA University, Shri Naidu highlighted that India had a ‘parampara’ of holistic education since ancient times. He said that the National Education Policy 2020 recognizes the importance of such holistic education and seeks to break the ‘rigid and artificial barriers between disciplines.

The Vice President appreciated the efforts of colleges like IIT Bombay, which recently introduced an interdisciplinary undergraduate course that includes liberal arts, science, and engineering in one programme. He suggested that other institutions, too, should explore offering multidisciplinary courses.

Expressing concern over rote learning practices in schools, Shri Naidu appealed to parents to infuse curiosity for arts and literature in children from a young age. “In a race to make it to the top national institutions of science and engineering, we are ignoring essential subjects in schools such as languages and social sciences”, Shri Naidu remarked.
Shri Naidu complimented the staff and administration of KREA University and the family of Shri Moturi Satyanarayana for establishing the new Centre. He appealed to well-meaning families to come forward and join the government in starting similar initiatives in higher education.

He suggested that such Centres should encourage innovative research in social sciences by facilitating diverse voices. He also said social science scholars should work closely with practitioners and policy-makers to better understand social issues.

On this occasion, the Vice President paid rich tributes to Shri Moturi Satyanarayana, a freedom fighter and Parliamentarian. Remembering his contribution as a proponent of Indian languages, especially Hindi, Shri Naidu called for the importance of Indian languages at all levels of education and administration. “Language gives us identity and self-respect and makes us who we are. We must feel proud to speak in our own mother tongue”, he added.

Shri Naidu said that proficiency in one’s mother tongue fosters better learning and creativity and enables a more accessible understanding of other languages. He added that besides being competent in one’s mother tongue, we should branch out and learn as many languages as possible, including Hindi.

Shri Naidu also expressed concern over the falling standard of debates in the parliament and state legislatures. He called upon people to elect their representative based on the 4 ‘C’s — character, conduct, calibre, and capacity. “Instead, some people have been weakening Indian democracy with another set of 4 Cs — caste, community, cash, and criminality. People should choose their representatives wisely to protect parliamentary democracy”, Shri Naidu appealed.

Dr. Mahesh Rangarajan, Vice-Chancellor, KREA University, Shri Kapil Viswanathan, Chairman, Executive Committee, family members of Shri Moturi Satyanarayana, Prof. Mukund Padmanabhan, professors, staff, and others participated in the hybrid event.

Following is the full text of the speech:

“Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Today, I am immensely pleased to inaugurate the Moturi Satyanarayana Centre for Advanced Study in Humanities at KREA University. I commend the management, staff, and all those associated with this momentous milestone in KREA’s journey, which has been synonymous with imparting quality humanities and social sciences education.

Named after an eminent son of India, Padma Bhushan Sri Moturi Satyanarayana Garu, I am sure that this Centre, with its academic rigour and focus on quality, will grow into a transformative and engaging hub of teaching and learning. As a freedom fighter, one of the framers of the Indian Constitution, and a Parliamentarian, Moturi Satyanarayana Garu was a multi-faceted personality and a key figure in India’s political history.

An ardent follower and companion of Mahatma Gandhi, Sri Moturi Satyanarayana Garu was a major proponent of using Indian languages in all walks of life. He took up the advocacy of Hindi in South India as a critical mission while promoting his mother tongue, Telugu, through various publications. Incidentally, he was also the founder and Secretary of Telugu Bhasha Samiti.

Dear sisters & brothers,
We must accord due importance to Indian languages, especially our mother tongue, at all levels of education and administration. We must never forget that language is one of the foremost aspects of our cultural heritage; it gives us identity and self-respect and makes us who we are. That is why, I often say, feel proud to speak in your mother tongue!
The National Education Policy 2020 is a visionary document that recognizes the importance of liberal arts and focuses on a multidisciplinary approach to education in tune with contemporary times. It aims to de-compartmentalize Indian education and break the rigid and artificial barriers between ‘professional and liberal education.

As NEP rightly points out, even in ancient times, ‘good education’ was described as the knowledge of the 64 Kalas or arts. This included knowledge in scientific fields like chemistry and mathematics, ‘vocational’ fields such as carpentry and clothes-making, ‘professional’ fields such as medicine and engineering, and ‘soft skills such as communication, discussion, and debate.

Such a holistic approach to education must be revived again, emphasizing liberal arts. Unfortunately, liberal arts have been relegated to a secondary position in education in recent decades. Liberal arts nurture critical thinking, problem-solving, and adaptability in an individual. These attributes are in high demand in the 21st-century economy, where no sector of the economy works in a silo. We must, therefore, rediscover our ‘parampara’ in liberal arts to shape well-rounded individuals.

In this regard, the students pursuing the fields of STEM- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics must get adequate exposure to liberal arts and social sciences in their undergraduate programmes. Various assessments of such courses where humanities and arts are well integrated have shown enhanced creativity and innovation, higher social and moral awareness, and improved students’ critical thinking, teamwork, and communication skills.

I am happy that many engineering colleges are moving in this direction. I am pleased to learn that IIT Bombay has recently introduced an interdisciplinary undergraduate course that covers liberal arts, science, and engineering in one programme. I am told that KREA University also offers such courses. This would contribute to expanding opportunities to open up new career pathways.

Friends,
More institutions must explore offering such interdisciplinary courses. Several career trajectories in the coming years will require employees to have broader knowledge in diverse fields. We need youth who have an in-depth understanding of their specialized area and can assimilate perspectives from other areas, integrate knowledge from all disciplines, and have soft skills for good communication, informed discussion, and debate. Possessing sound knowledge in multiple disciplines, apart from having expertise in specialized areas, will help us realize the full potential of our demographic dividend.

Brothers and sisters,
I appeal to parents to encourage and infuse curiosity in children for arts, literature, and social sciences from a young age. In a race to make it to the top national institutions of science and engineering, we ignore essential subjects in school, such as languages and social sciences.

In addition, rote learning practices will ruin a child’s creative abilities. Instead, we must produce engineers, doctors, and scientists who come up with innovative solutions to the challenges faced by humanity.

Higher educational institutions in liberal arts, too, must continue this spirit of inquiry and creativity on their campuses. In the research on social sciences, we need to encourage more diverse voices and not limit universities to become exclusionary spaces and echo chambers. I believe that scholars in social sciences should work closely with practitioners and policy-makers to get a grip on real-life issues they will strive to understand and analyze.

Lastly, while technical institutions should integrate arts into their curriculum, students from the arts and humanities background should be given options to gain exposure to scientific disciplines such as computing, artificial intelligence, and other frontier areas. They must be abreast with the latest technological developments and skillfully apply them in their research.

As for faculty members, learning, recognition, and empowerment in an academic ambience of collaboration should form the basis of career development. They should focus on preparing learners to access the increasingly wide range of career opportunities in this day and age.

In this regard, I am confident that this Centre will foster innovative research, nurture a new generation of social scientists, strengthen inquiry practices within and across disciplines and provide fresh insight into critical public issues. I congratulate the founders, administrators, and the Vice-Chancellor of the University for their efforts in setting up this Centre. My heartiest compliments to the family of the late Sri Moturi Satyanarayana Garu, who have come forward to fund this venture generously and created a corpus for the successful functioning of this Centre.

Once again, I am thrilled to have inaugurated this Centre. With such efforts, I am sure India will become a hub of learning in humanities and social sciences, along with other fields, and will emerge on the world stage again as Vishwaguru. Together, let us strive and make great spaces for vibrant, inclusive, multidisciplinary learning again.
Thank you all.
Jai Hind!”

Source: Press Release
Release ID: 1753202
PIB Delhi
Date: September 08, 2021