CHENNAI : Education is not a one-stop arrangement, but students should seek knowledge all through life to attain excellence, said Smriti Irani, Union Minister for Women and Child Development.
Addressing students at the convocation of the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) here on Tuesday, she said, “Students should not limit their education just to the institution, but continue their relationship with their institution by incubating start-ups with the institution and also publishing research papers.”
The minister said the number of research papers increased to 3,301 in 2016, thanks to the efforts of the institutions such as IIT, VIT and IIMS. She also urged the students of VIT to contribute to the development of the ‘New India’. A total of 1,071 students including PhD scholars graduated from the VIT. The Union Minister also gave away certificates and medals to meritorious students.
G Vishwanathan, VIT Chancellor, said more money should be allocated for the education sector. “The government should spend at least six per cent of GDP on education, but so far it has not crossed four per cent.” He said though roughly 13 lakh students aspired for medical seats every year, there were only around 60,000 seats in private and government colleges in the country.
So the government and private institutions should devise plans to bridge this gap, he said. Noting that women’s contribution to the education sector had come down when compared to other fields, the Chancellor said that the government should provide free education to girls up to the college level. Padmaja Chunduru, Managing Director and CEO, India Bank, also spoke at the convocation.