Saturday, December 31 2005 11:29 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Apparently choosing to refrain from making an announcement, President A P J Abdul Kalam yesterday (Dec 30, 2005) said he did not know which university had the turn for getting the Central University status leaving the audience guessing at the Patna University convocation.

"We have a total of 20 Central Universities at present. One more university is to be added. But I don't know which is it," Kalam said while delivering his address at annual convocation of Patna University.

Earlier, addressing the convocation as guest of honour, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar demanded that keeping in view vast contribution of the Patna University which is the ninth oldest university in the country, the centre should accord it the status of central university.

Kumar, however, said, "If the Centre does not agree to the suggestion, I assure the PU authorities and students that my Government will allocate whatever funds is possible from its limited resources for having all the facilities to match the central university status."

In the same vein, he said the State Government was working tirelessly to improve the condition of universities so that the students did not have to go elsewhere for higher studies.

"We will try to have all modern techniques of teaching here and universities and schools should come upto the desired level of imparting education to match the standards of other institutions preferred by the students of the state," Kumar said.