Shri K.T. Jaleel, Hon’ble Minister for Higher Education,

Shri P.K. Kunhalikutty, Member of Parliament,

Dr. K. Mohammed Basheer, Vice Chancellor, University of Calicut,

Prof. P. Mohan, Pro Vice-Chancellor, University of Calicut,

Prof. R. Bindu, Member of Syndicate, University of Calicut,

Shri K.K. Haneefa, Member of Syndicate, University of Calicut,

Dr. Adbul Majeed T.A., Registrar, University of Calicut,

Dr. M. Sabu, Professor, Department of Botany, University of Calicut,

Dear Teachers, Students and Researchers,

Madhyama Suhruthukkale,

Sahodaree Sahodaranmare,

Ellavarkkum Ente Namaskaram.

I am very happy to inaugurate the valedictory function of the Golden Jubilee celebration of the University of Calicut.

Let me at the outset, congratulate the Syndicate and the Academic Community of the University on their success in organizing several programmes in connection with the year long celebration.

I also congratulate Dr. M. Sabu, Professor, Department of Botany, University of Calicut, who has been honoured today for being elected by the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), as Fellow of INSA, and Fellow of Linnean Society, London.   Such honours elevate the prestige of the University.

I understand that the University of Calicut, which was established in 1968, is the largest institution of higher learning in Kerala in terms of the area of jurisdiction and student intake.  This university, which is one of the largest in South India, with 35 teaching departments and over 392 affiliated colleges, 11 chairs and over 38 self financing centres under it, has over quarter of a million students registered under it. Therefore, it is only befitting that the Golden Jubilee of such a significant seat of learning was celebrated in a grand manner.

Successful completion of 50 years is a landmark in the history of any institution, but when the period is marked by a remarkably steady development, the academic community as well as society in general has ample reason to be happy and proud. Let me therefore,   share the joy and pride of everyone   present here, as this university crosses a landmark and steps into a new phase of growth.

In this moment of pride, let us also remember the selfless service rendered by several teachers, students, researchers and non teaching staff in improving the intellectual stature of this institution in the last five decades. In fact, now is the time to think ahead and decide what we should attain in the coming decades. In other words, the conclusion of the celebration means the beginning of a new phase of concerted action.

As we all know, an institution of higher education, committed to a broad vision, can change the educational and intellectual landscape of an entire locality. The establishment of this University in 1968 through the development of the northern research station of the University of Kerala had marked the progressive transformation of Malabar into a more intellectually advanced society.

I recall with a deep sense of appreciation, some of the activities held during the Golden Jubilee Year, the most significant being the conferment of an honorary degree on Sheikh Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasmi, the ruler of Sharjah. It was an event that strengthened our State's and our nation's relations with the United Arab Emirates. I also recall that you had conducted a two-day South Zone Vice Chancellor's Meet in association with Association of Indian Universities in December last year. It was good to see the university showcasing the digital initiatives of the last few years and providing a platform for informed, in-depth scholarly discussions on digital models in Higher Education. The programmes like Abhayamhousing scheme, greening initiatives,Nellara museum, Sastrayan and a host of others rightly proclaim the broad reach of the service of a university.

As is well known, University education and intellectual enrichment should not be seen only as a path to employment. Even in courses that are marked as professional in nature, the university's concern should be to build a profound understanding of the discipline. The universities should establish themselves as way above ordinary institutions, which impart instructions that would help students to handle the requirements of survival or daily life. The emphasis in a university should be on how to think and to go beyond the obvious levels of learning so that students acquire the capacity to evaluate and question the facts before them.

Needless to say, research in a university should aim at the creation of new knowledge that may be useful to society and even the economy. The addition of the ‘economy tag’ in research is not a new phenomenon, since over the last two decades, the view of education as an economic activity has been getting stronger. If the nation or State funds your research, you have the responsibility to tell society about the fruits of your research. Therefore, the researchers in our universities should bear this obligation in mind right from the day they prepare a research proposal.

This does not mean that universities should encourage only the type of research that translates into deliverable technologies. We cannot ignore social and literary research, because the pace of change in our lives demands a frequent, close examination of the socio cultural developments and their impact on us as a society. Therefore, the social research in universities has to be seen as a mirror that reflects the way we our society is being transformed. It is here that universities become the eyes and ears of a society.

It is said that Education is a great equalizer. It empowers people to stand up for their rights and to voice their concerns in such a way that they strengthen our democracy. If our universities should gain full acceptance as the strongest catalysts of social, scientific and economic change, there must be an atmosphere that respects and encourages Academic freedom.  At the same time, academicians should also be role models in academic and intellectual integrity.

A University, built on the foundations of Academic freedom and integrity can never tolerate unhealthy and unethical practices in research. The levels to which the politics of mediocrity has invaded the academic scene is often evident in our lenient approach towards plagiarism and shallow reasoning. It must be   the mission of every University to be intolerant to mediocrity in their efforts to discover and disseminate knowledge. A university should be known by the depth and quality of the knowledge it contributes to society, not by the years it has survived. The worth of a university should be measured in terms of the scholars it has gifted to society, not by the structures it has construed.

       I am happy that the University of Calicut has been endeavoring to rise to better levels of performance, as was evident in its position in the National Institutional Ranking Framework of the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development and in the neck-to-neck competition it had put up in the recent assessment for the Chancellor’s Award. I hope this good work would continue in the years to come so that the university shows the true grandeur of academic excellence to our society.

       Let me once again greet the teachers, students, researchers and non-teaching staff and wish them all the best in carrying forward their work with the Platinum Jubilee of the University in mind.

       I also compliment the organizers for conducting this function in a befitting manner.

Ellavarkkum Ente Aashamsakal

Nanni

Jai Hind