Indian President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday said, “India’s higher education institutions are among the most effective platforms for promoting constitutional ideals of justice, equality, fraternity, individual dignity and respect for women.”

At the conclusion of the two-day visitor’s conference held at Rashtrapati Bhawan, Murmu gave a speech. More than 150 heads of institutions, including central universities, Indian Institutes of Technology, National Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, and National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, attended the conference, which was also attended by education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Parallel sessions on five themes, including national education policy, internationalization efforts, research contributions, diversity, equality, inclusivity, and wellness, were held during the conference, “Education for Sustainable Development: Building a better world.” The themes of the conference were “extremely relevant for our country as well as for the entire world”, the President said.

The discussion of efforts by educational institutions on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) was held at the session on diversity, equality, inclusivity, and wellness, which was led by V Kamakoti, director of IIT Madras.

“The DEI efforts included reduction of gender bias, ensuring ease of living for physically challenged steps to improve participation of women in leadership roles. The deliberations brought out a wide range of suggestions on how to ensure the happiness, well-being and development of our students and faculty,” the education ministry said in a statement.

The President expressed concern about a recent spike in student suicides recorded at IITs in her inauguration speech on Monday, and she emphasized that educational institutions should prioritize shielding and supporting their students from stress, shame, and neglect on their campuses.