Arif Mohammad Khan, who is the Chancellor of the University of Kerala, on Tuesday conferred the varsity’s honorary degree of doctor of science on scientist and Bharat Ratna-awardee CNR Rao. The degree was conferred at a special convocation ceremony held at the varsity’s Senate chamber, in the presence of Higher Education Minister and Pro-Chancellor KT Jaleel. Kerala University Vice-Chancellor V P Mahadevan Pillai, other varsity officials and members of the Senate and Syndicate were present.
In his acceptance speech, Rao lamented the poor funding for science and research in the country.
“In the 1980s, the spending on scientific research was around one per cent of the GDP. Now it is only 0.8 per cent of the GDP. This should be raised at least to two per cent,” he stressed. He also rued the condition of the country’s education system and called for steps to improve quality of education. “The future of India depends on properly educated and trained young men and women. The quality of teaching should also improve right from the school level,” he said.
The varsity decided to bestow the honorary degree on account of Rao’s ‘ground-breaking accomplishments in the field of science, which has long positioned him as a leading scientist, an eminent scholar and an illustrious academician,’ according to the citation on Rao. Khan, who addressed the special convocation said Rao’s scholarly guiding hand, in many national policies of science, facilitated the adaptation of knowledge for the growth and development of the country over the past two decades.
“His research output has quickened our transformation as a knowledge society and strengthened our faith in knowledge and education as true driving forces behind social transformation,” the Governor noted.
Kerala University’s honorary doctorate was the 80th of its kind that Rao received from varsities across the world.
