KARACHI, March 21: A leading Indian scholar and educationist, J. P. Vaswani, who is a former student of the D.J. Science College, has impressed upon the young students to spare time and energy for helping others, besides studying.

The octogenarian scholar was speaking at a reception held in his honour on his visit to the college on Monday after more than 68 years.

He suggested to the authorities that while updating keeping the syllabus in conformity with the latest discoveries around the globe, stress should also be put on students’ character-building, so that they could became good human beings.

Regrettably, he noted, the students acquiring modern education were fast adopting a material approach owing to which the social and moral values had changed, rather deteriorated.

He was of the view that while imparting education and training of computers science and information technology, efforts should also be made to promote the essential values of sympathy, compassion, etc., in students.

He also advised the students take special interest in extra-curricular activities, like debates, discourses, etc. He regretted that such a trend was not observed in India also where many students were inclined to discotheques instead.

Mr Vaswani emphasized on educating female children, indicating that he was associated with an organization, Sadhu Vaswani Foundation, which had established a girls school, named after Saint Mira Bai, in Hyderabad more than 75 years back.

In reply to a question regarding the role of women in the subcontinent, he said that women should be given the opportunity to prove their leadership qualities by becoming heads of state or government “as people have seen that men have ruined South Asia over the past 50 years.”

Expressing his view that media’s major role is to educate the masses, he said: “Unfortunately, a major component of media is not playing this role at the moment.”