A student receives an award at the second convocation of Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, July 17: The elitist orientation of higher education drew a flak from eminent molecular biologist and vice-chancellor of Banaras Hindu University Lalji Singh.

Addressing the second annual convocation of the Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SoA) University here today, Singh said that the elitist trend of higher education must be reduced and the urban-rural divide should give way to an equitable distribution of resources and opportunities.

“Institutes of higher education have to be socially inclusive and we must strive to utilise our country’s strength of human resources for becoming the knowledge leader,” Singh said, adding that in order to facilitate access, the available courses must be diversified as per the needs of society and market and university-industry linkages must be strengthened.

A Padma Shri recipient, Singh said that financing of higher education was another stumbling block in the way of achieving increased access and equity. “The country’s current expenditure in education is less than one per cent of its gross domestic product. State funding needs to be increased in higher education in collaboration with private sector companies. The modes of financing higher education also needs to be diversified,” he added.

Singh also said expansion of higher education had brought in its wake deterioration in quality, while emphasising on research work and technology development to improve the scenario. He attributed the deteriorating quality to factors such as lack of planning, inadequate facilities, absence of clarity of purpose and compromises at various levels.

On the occasion, about 3,000 students of 2010-11 and 2011-12 batches received their degrees. Nine research scholars were awarded PhD degrees while 54 outstanding students were given gold medals for excellence in different disciplines.

Honorary degrees were conferred on the director of Indian Institute of Teschnology, Kharagpur, Prof. Damodar Acharya, and the head of gastroenterology department at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, Dr Subrat Kumar Acharya.

University chancellor Khageswar Pradhan and vice-chancellor R.P. Mohanty also addressed the graduating students.