New Delhi, Apr 28 : Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Monday said that it is a sad reality that too much attention is paid to the hardware of education and not enough to the software, namely, the quality of teachers and of facilities offered, including libraries.

The Prime Minister was speaking at the launch of ‘Global Education and Leadership Programme’ in New Delhi.

“I am happy to see a new wave of private initiatives in the field of Education and training. I learnt about your foundation it inspires me to believe that yours is a unique saga of adventure and enterprise. The private sector has for a long time shown interest in promoting education, particularly higher education in the country,” said Dr. Singh.

Dr. Singh said teacher training is an extremely important aspect of education policy. Our State Governments must pay greater attention to improving the quality of teacher training across the country.

He added that most studies of Government-funded school programmes show that one of the weaknesses of public education is the quality of teachers.

The PM said that Indian youth have demonstrated that they are second to none in the world when they get the opportunity to realize their full potential.

The world looks with admiration towards India because of the tremendous achievements of Indian professionals in various fields all over the world.

I recall that when I wrote to Professor Srinivasa Vardhan, the winner of the Abel Prize in Mathematics, and complimented him for securing the highest prize in the world of mathematics, he wrote back to me and said that he owes his achievements to the sound educational foundation he received at school in Chennai and Kolkata.

It is the quality of his school and college education in India that enabled him to make a mark internationally and that is why I admire and commend your emphasis on children in our school as leaders for tomorrow. (ANI)