“The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the advances in digital technology and robotics will together make certain types of jobs obsolete and also create many new jobs. Today, universities are expected to excel not only in providing quality education, but more importantly in developing global citizens, and in preparing the students for the new era”, said Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu.
Venkaiah Naidu participated in the 8th Convocation of GITAM University, Hyderabad Campus, as the Chief Guest, today. In his address, Venkaiah Naidu said, “We are an old civilization with a young population. No other country has this kind of demographic advantage. He observed that India is at the cusp of a massive transformation in all spheres, and an exciting world of infinite opportunities is awaiting students after their graduation”.
He further said that the economic growth of a country is highly dependent on “the creativity of human resources and innovation through research and development” and hence the faculty must devote time to relevant research. This will improve the intellectual stature of the Universities and make them the powerhouses of knowledge. They can potentially be the think tanks for national policy development.
He opined that universities should equip students with multi-disciplinary knowledge and inter-disciplinary skills to study these problems and look for solutions to meet the challenges. Venkaiah Naidu expressed his satisfaction at the giant strides GITAM University is making in offering world class education by collaborating with prestigious foreign universities like Stanford and in initiating state-of- the-art interdisciplinary courses.
Two doctorates and over 1060 graduate and postgraduate degrees were awarded at the 8 th Convocation to students in the faculties of technology and management. Toppers of management and various branches of technology were awarded gold medals.
Participating in the Convocation as the distinguished Guest of Honour, Shri T. Harish Rao, Minister for Irrigation, Marketing & Legislative Affairs, Govt. of Telangana, said in his address, that the Telangana government has taken the path of “Innovation and Entrepreneurship” to make Telangana the most preferred investment destination in India. He shared the initiatives taken by the Telangana government to promote higher and technical education, employment and entrepreneurship, and overall development in the State, such as establishing Telangana State Council of Higher Education, the T-Hub, Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK), Finishing School for unemployed youth, a programme called Professor of Practice (PoP), and Mission Kakatiya. He congratulated GITAM University for its contribution to quality education in the State.
Chancellor of GITAM University, Prof. K. Ramakrishna Rao, also spoke. Vice-Chancellor Prof. M.S. Prasada Rao read the annual report.
Parents of graduating students, President of GITAM, Dr. M.V.V.S. Murthi, Vice President, Prof. M. Gangadhara Rao, the governing body members of GITAM Society, Pro Vice- Chancellors, heads of institutes, heads of departments, faculty and staff of GITAM participated in the 8th Convocation. (NSS)