Mysuru : Each scientist should mentor five young scientists, by being in touch with them, in order to ensure their progress, Governor Vajubhai R Vala said on Thursday.

He was speaking at the valedictory of 103rd Indian Science Congress at Crawford Hall.

Heaping praises on the intelligence quotient of children nowadays, the governor said, “Such is the mental ability of five-year-old children that they can effortlessly memorise an advertisement, while it was a difficult task for teachers to teach older generation students.

So is the marks garnered by students nowadays, who score in the range of 95 per cent and above, a feat unheard then.”

Drawing an analogy between then and now, the governor said, earlier Nalanda and Takshashila universities were the most sought after, attracting students from other countries.

“Now, students go abroad for studies. Though there are people with abundant intelligence, opportunities are less to exhibit their talent,” he said.

In his valedictory address, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda rued that the
call given by him during the inauguration of the science congress in 1997 remains to
be realised.

Gowda said, “I had appealed to the scientists to make use of science to address the problems of agriculture, primary healthcare and also primary education. Unfortunately, it has not been achieved even after 18 years.”

Minister for Higher Education T B Jayachandra, also pro-chancellor of universities, advised budding scientists to emulate eminent scientists like C N R Rao, Raja Ramanna, and U R Rao.