President Pratibha Patil has asked universities to promote skill development apart from providing education and stressed that there was a need to work on socially relevant issues.

Laying the foundation stone for Indira Gandhi National Open University Southern Regional Campus in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, Patil said the link between learning and livelihood was important.

She said distance learning must give weightage to enhance knowledge that gives practical and necessary know-how for livelihood opportunities.

Distance education and technology have close links, she said, adding it can even serve the national development agenda, by reaching out to farmers and health workers to provide them information that was relevant for them.

“There is need for the government and universities to act in concert, to work on socially relevant issues and to reach out to a broad segment of society,” Patil said.

The Centre’s aim was to increase the enrolment ratio of people receiving higher education, she said, adding for that “we should need to expand our education infrastructure”.

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Assembly Speaker G Karthikeyan and IGNOU Vice-Chancellor V N Rajasekharan also spoke on the occasion.

Patil had arrived in the state for a three-day visit on 29^thAugust.

She inaugurated the first President’s Trophy boat race at the Ashtamudi lake at Kollam and also participated in the valedictory function of the centenary celebrations of the Knanaya Archeparchy of Kottayam on Tuesday.

Winding up her three day visit to Kerala President Prathibha Patil left for Delhi by Indian Air Force aircraft.