Andhra Pradesh - Guntur   

Minister defends student elections

Photo: T. Vijaya Kmar.

Kuchipudi dancers from various colleges affiliated to Acharya Nagarjuna University waiting for their turn during classical dance competitions on campus as part of Youth Festival in Guntur on Monday. —

GUNTUR: Response to Acharya Nagarjuna University Inter-Collegiate Youth Festival that got under way on Monday on the campus was lukewarm with only 40 out of more than 350 affiliated colleges taking part in 27 different events.

Expressing concern over declining interest in cultural and literary activities among college-going students of Acharya Nagarjuna University, Teachers’ Constituency MLC K.S. Lakshman Rao suggested appointment of a cultural coordinator at faculty level in all the affiliated colleges in three districts to train the students in aspects of their interest in arts and culture. “For the past three years there have been not more than 50 colleges coming forward to participate in these events at the youth festivals,” he said.

Minister for Education Dokka Manikya Varaprasada Rao, while inaugurating the festival, said that political thinking among the students must be more matured on the university campus and for that holding of elections for the student organisations was essential.

Pointing out at the disturbing trend that had set in society on money earning, the Minister said that parents were encouraging their wards to go to the United States to earn money, but did not encourage them to work for the development of the country.

Decision-making process must change with the students taking to new thought process instead of sticking to new ideas. The university classrooms must become the centres for inculcating the new thought process that would build a new world order.

Shaping future lives should be the key focus of youth at this stage, he said. Arts, culture and literature must help bring a good change in society for which students must strive from this stage, Mr. Varaprasad said. Frequent participation in elocution and essay writing competitions would improve the thought process of students as they would be forced to read more than what they were prescribed as part of course, he added.

Radha Madhava Natya Kala Brundam rendered the inaugural Kuchipudi dance performance, which drew applause from students and the invitees. Vice-Chancellor Y.R. Haragopala Reddy exhorted students to come out in large numbers and actively participate in all the events in the youth festival.

AMG International founder H.H. Diechman promised to fund a Christian Study Centre on the campus and wanted students to concentrate on quality learning during their college days.

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