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India made strides due to stress on education: Patil

DUBAI — In the last leg of her UAE visit, Indian President Pratibha Patil addressed thousands of university students on Wednesday evening.

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She interacted with a select group of students from BITS Pilani, IMT Dubai, Manipal University and S.P. Jain Centre of Management at Dubai Men’s College auditorium.

Students from all four universities put together a cultural show in honour of the Indian president.

Addressing the students, Pratibha Patil said: “There has been a regular exchange of ideas between India and other countries. We should remember India made rapid strides in knowledge development because of stressing on the importance of education.

“India has been a repository of knowledge and one should remember knowledge is a treasure that increases with sharing.” The Indian education system was aligning its teaching syllabi to keep up with global standards.

“It is heartening to see globally recognised Indian education brands venturing into international markets and Indian students in Dubai enjoy the unique distinction of receiving knowledge from universities with Indian roots,” added the president.

Cautioning the students to value their culture and traditions, she said: “One should not forget to keep in touch with the basic human moral values and the traditions that make your civilisation. They are what make your character and identity.”

“India and the UAE both view education as the foundation of a successful economy. The president’s visit is a clear indication of the depth of cooperation between the two countries and it will certainly open up new avenues of cooperation to further improve ties in higher education,” said Dr Tayeb A. Kamali, Vice-Chancellor, Higher Colleges of Technology.

“We aim to develop the UAE as a pool of regional talent and Dubai International Academic City has some of the most highly reputed Indian universities in the UAE,” said Dr Ayoub Kazim, managing director, TECOM — Education Cluster. The president’s visit is “a once in a lifetime opportunity for students”, said Dr R. K. Mittal, director of BITS Pilani, Dubai.

“It is a great privilege to have the president of India come and speak with the students. Our students and all of us were really excited about her visit,” he added.

There has been tremendous growth in the education sector between both the countries and Indian foreign universities in Dubai host thousands of students on their campuses.

“Her visit is in recognition of the growing importance of Indian higher education institutions outside India. It is a symbolic moment for the students of these universities and indeed a matter of pride for us,” says Dr Farhad Rad-Serecht, Director, IMT Dubai.

It was a rare opportunity to interact with the Indian president and learn from her thoughts, opined many students.

Sweta Prasad, a business studies student at Manipal University, said: “I am glad she came here to speak with us. It was a humbling experience, something that I will never forget.”

muaz@khaleejtimes.com

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