King Saud University confers honorary doctorate on PM

Saudi Arabia's King Saud University today conferred an honorary doctorate on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who described it as an exceptional honour bestowed on him by one of the premier centres of learning in the Arab world.

He noted that the University had been in the forefront of building a knowledge society and its contribution in promoting fundamental human values, academic freedom, learning and innovation had been second to none.

He also recalled his days as a university professor very fondly, not least because of the opportunity it gave him to interact with inspiring young minds.

Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh being felicitated by the King of Saudi Arabia Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 28, 2010.

Dr Singh spoke about the long intellectual and educational traditions of the Arab world and India's links with the region that went back several millennia. He said these links, which had weakened, needed to be revived.

Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh being felicitated by the King of Saudi Arabia Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 28, 2010.

"The confluence of Arab and Asian ideas and culture will help us to rediscover each other and in the process enrich human civilization," he said.

Referring to the King Abdullah's interest in the modernisation of the education infrastructure in his country, he said India had a similar vision for the development of education.

He said that almost 20 per cent of the total expenditure in India's current five-year plan was earmarked for education. He spoke about the plans for establishing 30 new Central Universities, of half would be conceived as world-class institutions, five more national institutes of science and more Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs).

"We are keen to build our human resources for the next generation. Every year India produces among the largest number of scientists and engineers in the world. We wish to expand India’s knowledge economy and to build world class facilities for research and cutting edge science in the country," he said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh being conferred the honorary doctorate by the King Saud University, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 01, 2010.

The Prime Minister said he was happy that the two countries were seeking closer cooperation in the field of higher education.

He said the Riyadh Declaration he and King Abdullah had signed yesterday had laid special emphasis on the increasing role and importance of youth in consolidating relations between the two countries. It had also reaffirmed their common desire to forge greater cooperation in the areas of education, culture, information technology and frontier areas of science and technology, he said.

He said India would like to see greater number of students in our universities from Saudi Arabia. India was already receiving Saudi students under the prestigious "King Abdullah Scholarship Programme", he said, and called for the expansion and popularisation of such programmes.

Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh speaking after receiving the honorary doctorate conferred by the King Saud University, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 01, 2010.

Dr Singh also expressed happiness that the King Saud University had entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the prestigious Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore and hoped this would inspire similar collaborations between other centres of excellence in both countries.

He said he saw many possibilities for cooperation between the two countries in the area of human capital formation and skill development.

"We are both countries with young populations and our educational system should be geared to making every student employable. The knowledge economy offers many opportunities for creative young minds and we should collaborate in nurturing them.

"I am continually inspired by the creativity, energy and dynamism of the younger generation," he added.

NNN