CHENNAI: Students must read great classics, said former Tamil Nadu Governor Bhishma Narain Singh at the second annual convocation of VIT University’s Chennai campus on Saturday. However, he said technical education dominated the field of education at present and acknowledged that there was no scope for reading literature and works of art.
“Students must learn to read great classics, which deal with important questions affecting life and destiny of human race. “We need help from the great work of all ages, especially the poets who are unacknowledged legislators of the world, the philosophers, creative thinkers and the artists,” he said. He further said the kind of education provided for youth was not adequate to guarantee employability. “Skilling, arguably is the only practical solution to the impending unemployment problem.
By 2022, the nation’s skilling needs are estimated at over 400 million, over 10 times our current rate. Our country can succeed by spirited participation of government — Centre, State, local bodies alike and the private sector,” he said. Speaking on the occasion, N T Arunkumar, Board director and strategic advisor (Tata group, FinTech & Analytics Startup, Financial Services), said his learning began after he finished his studies.
“Your studies end here, but your learning begins here. More than knowledge and skills, one needs to be ambitious,” he said. He also urged students to become entrepreneurs. “It is easier to become entrepreneurs than employees,” he said. VIT University Chancellor G Viswanathan said only five per cent of Indians were able to pursue higher education in India even 70 years after Independence, while it was 40 per cent in the United States.