September 11, 2008:Himachal Pradesh has topped in professional and higher education in recent survey conducted by central govt. disclosed state chief minister Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal while speaking at inauguration of resource learning centre of Himachal Pradesh university at Noida in Uttar Pradesh today.
Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal told that state is keenly locked with Kerala in total literacy and hoped that Himachal will surpass Kerala in literacy in next years. He said that six private Universities will be opened in the state in private sector in coming years and added that out of these three Universities would be set up in the state during current financial year. He said that state government has received proposal from prestigious institutions to set up medical and engineering colleges in private sector and added that state government is giving top priority for setting up educational infrastructure in the state.
Chief Minister Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal told that state is best suited to be education hub of the country as it is peaceful, natural and scenically beautiful and having best climate throughout the year. He said that demand of quality education has increased manifold in the recent years due to entry of private universities in education sector. He said that a healthy trend has grown in the education sector in recent years and asked the government institutions to compete with private sector on all account. He said that distance education has played a pivotal role in providing education to employed and rural youths and told that he himself has acquired his entire higher education through distance mode of education.
Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal hoped that this learning centre will solve the long pending demand of Delhi and neighbouring states and it will also help the university to expand its wings to other states and enroll more students under its various programmes. He said that distance education programmes launched by Himachal Pradesh University are cheap and best in the country and it will provide another alternative to the students who cannot afford higher fees of the private institutions.
While speaking on this occasion professor Sunil Gupta Vice -Chancellor Himachal Pradesh University thanked the Chief Minister Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal for providing liberal financial assistance to the university and assured him that university authorities will make every efforts to improve the quality of education with special emphasis on distance education.
Leading personalities of the Noida institutions, professors of Himachal Pradesh University and its staff and other members of the society also attended the function. A colourful cultural programme was also organized on this occasion.