The Transformative Role of Universities in a Changing World
This blog is on an orientation address (24 July 2025) by Prof. Dilip Barad for new university students, highlighting the transformative period in education driven by global technological advancements like generative AI and national policy changes such as the National Education Policy. It outlines the historical evolution of universities, tracing their roots from ancient gurukuls and academies to the establishment of the modern university system in the 11th-12th centuries, particularly the University of Bologna. The address then explains the three core principles of a university as enshrined in the 1988 Magna Carta Universitatum: academic freedom in research and teaching, the inseparable link between teaching and research, and the university as a centre for free inquiry and dialogue. Finally, it stresses the importance of evolving teaching methods as students progress to postgraduate studies and introduces new digital resources and platforms, like online e-libraries and the "One Nation One Subscription" scheme, to enhance the quality of research and learning, particularly overcoming language barriers with AI translation tools.
The speech in Hindi can be listened here:
AI-generated video summary:
This Hindi speech was uploaded on Google AI tool notebooklm. This AI tool generated this 5-minute video summary from this 14-minute speech:
AI-generated text summary:
Navigating the Tides of Change: Your University Journey in the 21st Century
Good morning to all students, faculty, and dignitaries! We stand at a pivotal moment, a "very good morning" indeed, as we embark on a discussion about the university's crucial role in education. The world, our nation, and even our state are experiencing a powerful "wind of change".
A World in Flux: Embracing Paradox
Globally, we are witnessing the climax of technological innovation, particularly with Generative AI and Artificial Intelligence. The speaker ponders how this will reshape our education and lives – whether it will "disrupt, destroy, or give a good shape" to them remains to be seen. Nationally, we are in the fifth year of implementing the National Education Policy (NEP), grappling with its spirit and application across all levels of education. At the state level, new Common Acts and Statutes for Public Universities are bringing their own set of challenges and experiences.
This era of profound change echoes the sentiments of great literary figures. Like Wordsworth's reflections on the French Revolution – "to be alive in that dawn was bliss, but to be young was heaven" – we find ourselves in an exhilarating, yet uncertain, time. Charles Dickens' opening lines from A Tale of Two Cities perfectly summarize our current state:
• "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."
• "It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness..."
• "It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness..."
We truly have "everything before us, we had nothing before us". In this paradoxical landscape, understanding the essence of a university is more vital than ever.
The Enduring Spirit of Universities: From Ancient Gurukuls to Modern Academia
The concept of organized learning is ancient, with the Gurukul system in India and Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum in Greece. Later, institutions like Nalanda, Taxila, and Vallabhi Universities flourished in India, primarily focusing on Buddhist philosophy, alongside mathematics and science.
However, the modern university as we know it emerged in the 11th and 12th centuries with the founding of the University of Bologna in Italy. A critical development in the mid-12th century (1155-88) was the inclusion of Academic Freedom in its charter.
Fast forward to 1988; to celebrate Bologna's 900th anniversary, the Magna Carta Universitatum was adopted. This charter reaffirms the fundamental values of a university. Many prestigious Indian universities, including Banaras Hindu University, JNU, University of Kolkata, University of Delhi, University of Mumbai, Visva-Bharati, Anna University, Kurukshetra University, and Punjab University, along with Gujarat's Maharaja Sayajirao University, have signed this Magna Carta.
The Magna Carta Universitatum outlines three core principles that should guide every university:
1. Freedom: Research and teaching must be intellectually and morally independent of political influence and economic interests.
2. Inseparable Link between Teaching and Research: These two aspects cannot be separated. Students are encouraged to become active participants in the pursuit and deepening of knowledge. When you join a university after graduation, you transcend being merely a "student" to become a "scholar," actively engaging in research.
3. Centre for Free Inquiry and Dialogue: Universities are places for open investigation and debate, characterized by a spirit of openness to dialogue and a rejection of intolerance.
These three principles form the enduring vision of a university that we strive to uphold.
The NEP's Vision: Evolving Teachers for Evolving Minds
The National Education Policy (NEP) is designed with a specific "spirit" in mind: teachers should change as students progress through different educational stages. This is because teachers develop a specific mindset tailored to the age group they teach. Just as a primary school teacher might not be suitable for high school, or an 11th/12th-grade teacher for a college, the NEP advocates for a change in teachers when students move from undergraduate to postgraduate and research (PhD) programmes.
This transition is crucial because at the postgraduate and research levels, students are expected to become scholars, embracing both research and teaching simultaneously. If teachers remain the same, students might not be able to develop new perspectives or break free from undergraduate learning patterns. The university's postgraduate and PhD programmes are the "peak of the pyramid" in our education system, a place for advanced learning and scholarly pursuit.
Unlocking Knowledge in the Digital Age: Resources at Your Fingertips
While we acknowledge potential limitations in infrastructure or the need for international-level facilities, the current global technological era is opening new doors, particularly through online and virtual platforms. Your university is committed to providing access to unparalleled resources:
• Online E-Library Access: If you've opened a library account, you should have received an email granting access to the university's online e-library application. This platform provides free access to thousands of articles from JSTOR journals, a subscription that is otherwise very costly for individuals and even institutions. The aim is to encourage you to rely on quality journal articles over guidebooks or "cheap study material".
• Breaking Language Barriers with Generative AI: For those who find English a barrier, the excuse is now obsolete. Generative AI (like ChatGPT or Gemini) can instantly translate any English article into Gujarati (or other languages) within minutes. This advanced machine translation is far superior to older versions, eliminating linguistic limitations in your pursuit of knowledge.
• One Nation One Subscription (ONeS): Beyond what the university subscribes to, the Indian government has launched the ONeS.gov.in scheme. This initiative provides free access to a vast array of high-quality journals. To access this, you must use the university's network—be it in the library or your department—ensuring you utilize this quality material for your teaching and research.
In choosing this university, you have made a significant decision, and we are grateful for your trust. We are committed to making your two-year journey excellent, filled with quality education, research opportunities, and lifelong memories.
Thank you, and welcome to this exciting phase of your academic life!
AI-generated mind map:
