Vadodara: President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday called for a multidisciplinary approach in higher education, saying complex contemporary challenges such as climate change, artificial intelligence, poverty alleviation and democracy could not be addressed through a single field of study.
Addressing the 75th convocation of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in Gujarat, President Murmu said the university’s range of academic disciplines placed it in a position to bring together different streams of knowledge.
“From arts to science, technology to medicine, law to social work, fine arts to performing arts, management to journalism, this university is providing education in many fields of knowledge,” she said.
President Murmu said problems confronting society were increasingly interconnected and required knowledge from multiple disciplines.
“Climate change is not only a subject of environmental studies. Artificial intelligence is not only a subject of computer science. Health is not only a subject of medicine or medical science. Poverty alleviation is not only the subject of an economist. Democracy is not only the subject of political science,” she said.
“Today, solving all important problems requires a multidisciplinary approach,” she added.
The President said students needed to develop different forms of understanding and perspective rather than limiting themselves to their own academic specialisations.
“We need the curiosity of a scientist, the sensitivity of an artist, the perspective of a historian, an understanding of economics and the consciousness of sociology,” she noted.
President Murmu said higher educational institutions such as MS University are expected to keep moving in this direction and help students in applying knowledge across disciplines.
Her remarks came at a convocation where candidates from a wide range of faculties were awarded degrees and postgraduate diplomas.
The university’s faculties include Arts, Science, Education and Psychology, Commerce, Technology and Engineering, Medicine, Law, Fine Arts, Family and Community Sciences, Social Work, Performing Arts, Management Studies, Journalism and Communication, and Pharmacy.
According to the convocation declaration, 229 candidates were found qualified for Doctor of Philosophy degrees, while 2,857 qualified for Master’s degrees, 8,863 for Bachelor’s degrees and 657 for Postgraduate Diplomas.
President Murmu also spoke about the need for students to exercise judgement while adopting rapidly changing technologies.
“Artificial intelligence can provide solutions, but asking the right questions should be your responsibility,” she said.
She added that technology could provide speed, but students had to decide the direction in which it should be used.
The President urged students to combine technological capabilities with human values and constitutional principles.
She said educated citizens were expected to incorporate the ideals of “justice, liberty, equality and fraternity” enshrined in the Constitution into their lives and workplaces.
(IANS)
