New Delhi: The President of India Mr Pranab Mukherjee attended the first convocation of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Delhi today (7 September 2016) in New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, he said that its maiden convocation is an important milestone for NIT Delhi. Despite operating from a transit campus, it has made best efforts to maintain the standard of education and offer state-of-the-art infrastructure for academic activity.
The President said that centres of higher learning of the nation have the onerous responsibility to mould the nation-builders of tomorrow. They must promote continuous growth and learning. Special capacities must be infused through the education system for nurturing students for a life-time. He segregated these capacities into three important elements i.e. (i) Becoming adept at using technology – Institutes must be equipped with knowledge networks and world-class laboratory equipments; (ii) Having the urge for cutting-edge research and innovation – A strong research orientation can lead to immense value addition to what our engineering students learn in manufacturing and design; and (iii) Laying emphasis on holistic development of personality – An aptitude for entrepreneurship for societal development must be fostered. For that, a vision of human betterment must be instilled in students.
The President said that the nation’s future direction of technical education will be guided by our frontline engineering institutions like IITs and NITs. They have been set up to impart quality education in the field of science and technology. An excellent research and teaching infrastructure and a pool of committed faculty will be the pillars to build them into top-notch institutions.
He said that India’s higher academic institutions can play a catalyzing role in initiatives like Skill India, Start-up India, etc by deploying their expertise and also involving their students to identify and solve problems at the grassroots level.
The President said that India is an old land but a young nation. He wished the students all the best for their future careers and said that society looks upon them to become harbingers of change.
