A student shows her degree certificate at the convocation of Sambalpur University on Tuesday. Telegraph picture

Sambalpur, Feb. 25: There is an immediate need to establish professional training and placement cells in all colleges and universities, said Nagaland governor Ashwani Kumar, while addressing the 26th convocation of the Sambalpur University here today.

“There are 723 universities and 37,204 colleges in the country. More than 28.6 million students study in these institutions of higher learning. In such a scenario, only the best universities will survive and students will prefer those institutions which offer the quality education and proper employment,” said Kumar.

Kumar also urged the university authorities to promote excellence in education by undertaking periodic internal and external assessments and obtaining national-level accreditation.

Congratulating the graduating students, Kumar said: “The hard work must not stop and the quest to gain knowledge must continue.”

Governor S.C. Jamir, who chaired the occasion, said: “The most important among the challenges faced by the universities in the recent years are the new imperatives of the globalisation and market economy. As a consequence, the demand for professional and job-oriented courses has risen like never before, necessitating the restructuring of the existing teaching departments in the universities.”

Thirty-three scholars were awarded PhD degrees

Vice-chancellor B.C. Barik and registrar S.K Das were also present on the occasion.