“Instead of building gigantic statues to national or religious heroes, India should build more modern schools and universities that will open its children’s minds, making them more tolerant and respectful of one another, and helping them hold their own in the competitive globalised world of tomorrow.”
Raghuram Rajan, former Reserve Bank India governor (India Today, December 6)
“India is in the midst of, arguably, the largest student protest since the Emergency. The ground of protest is clear: India cannot be a Republic founded on discrimination and a pervasive sense of fear. It cannot exclude or target anyone simply on the basis of their identity.”
Pratap Bhanu Mehta, former vice chancellor of Ashoka University, on the nationwide student protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (Indian Express, December 19)
“The increasing use of (Internet) shutdowns is concerning everywhere, but matters most in India. As a country that touts itself as a future democratic superpower, how India treats the Internet will serve as an example to countries less committed to civil liberties.”
Michael Safi, international correspondent, on the continuing Internet shutdown in Kashmir (The Guardian, December 19)
“Colleges and universities must train not only engineers, scientists, humanists and business leaders but also citizens. And we must do so in the hope that our students will help us to build a democracy where the constitutional glass can remain unbroken.”
Ronald J. Daniels, president of Johns Hopkins University (The Washington Post, December 29)
“The one thing that Indian universities need to overcome is their chronic inability to break through the glass ceiling of a respectable global ranking above the barrier of 200. A policy and a sustained professional approach on the part of our universities to overcome this is clearly the need of the hour.”
Dinesh Singh, former vice-chancellor of Delhi University (The Print, December 31)