This was stated by Prof S.P.Gautam of the Philosophy Department of Panjab University, Chandigarh, while delivering a lecture on the `Crisis of Higher Education: Retrospect and Prospects,' organised by the Progressive Thinkers Forum at Punjabi University campus here yesterday. He emphasised that in today's world, the wisdom and knowledge components of education have been completely missing. He lamented that individuals with useless information projected themselves as wise persons.

He opined that lack of material in the mother tongue is one of the major causes of lack of interest in higher education. Moreover, the competence in the mother tongue is the prerequisite to grasp the various subjects in a foreign language. Even the study material these days is being recycled not only by local publishers but also by well known Western counterparts. To solve the crisis he stressed the need for more state funding, need for inter- disciplinary approach, societal need oriented education, incentives for hard workers, change in admission structure and above all more responsive role of teachers and students' bodies. G.S.Sekhon presented the vote of thanks. Others who participated included Sucha Singh Gill, N.S.Kapur, S.Kohli, U.C.Singh, Joga Singh, Ranjit Singh Ghuman, Chaman Lal, Satish Verma, Balwinder Singh and a number of students and research scholars of the university.