Patna: Governor Satya Pal Malik on Wednesday asked Aryabhatta Knowledge University (AKU) and its students to focus more on science and technology. He was talking at AKU's annual convocation at Bapu Sabhaghar of Samrat Ashoka Convention Hall, where he handed over degrees to over 500 students.

"Over 135 alumni from Harvard University and around 90 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology have received the Nobel prize in various fields," Malik said. "But Indian universities have produced just four. It is high time universities in India focus more on research, especially in the field of medicine, science and technology."

The governor appreciated the university's plan to open new courses in river studies, nano science and economics. At the AKU governing boardmeet this month, the administration decided to launch a centre for river studies, centre for mass communication and journalism and Patliputra School of Economics - something that had been pending for years - from the next academic session.

Teachers from IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Patna, NIT-Patna and some experts from foreign universities are preparing the syllabus for the centre of river studies course.

Education minister Krishnanandan Prasad Verma, health minister Mangal Pandey and science and technology minister Jai Kumar Singh attended the function. Ninety-three educational institutions, including engineering, medical, pharmacy, BEd and others fall under AKU.

"AKU should not limit itself to being a degree-giving university," education minister Krishnanandan said. "It should focus on research too." Health minister Mangal Pandey said chief minister Nitish Kumar has announced setting up of a centre for geography and the university should also focus on setting up a centre for stem cell technology, centre for anatomy and astrophysics and centre for non-conventional energy. He assured the university full support in launching new courses.

Altogether, 563 students from among 4,500 who passed out from 93 institutions affiliated to AKU attended the convocation. Fourteen students from different streams received gold medals. Deepa Singh, a nursing student who received a gold medal, said: "With different educational institutions coming under AKU, the sessions have regularised."

AKU vice-chancellor (VC) Arun Kumar Agarwal, pro-VC S.M. Karim, founding VC S.N. Guha, former VC S.P. Singh, principal and directors of different institutions attended the function.