“Try to be true to yourself. Ask yourself what would make you get up every day eager to go to work. Allow yourself to respond to your inner voice,” said Prof. Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras. He was the chief guest at the 11th edition of The Hindu Education Plus Fair, held over the weekend. The fair saw huge numbers of Class XII students congregating to find out about courses and career options. He further stressed on the willingness to work hard and take risks. As part of the opening ceremony, Prof. Ramamurthi released the third edition of The Nxt Step, a guidebook on higher education, and the first copy was received by G Viswanathan, Founder and Chancellor, VIT University.
Investing on educationDr Viswanathan, in his speech, drew attention to the importance of the government investing in education. With medical, nursing and law colleges meeting only 10 per cent of the demand for seats, many students were opting to train in universities in eastern Europe, China, etc.“There is a need to address this and also develop a national policy on education loans and scholarships,” he said. He also touched upon the importance of universities being free of interference from governments and politics and the value of equipping oneself to work anywhere in the world.
“You are born in a generation of plenty, in the era of liberalisation. Make your choices thinking of this, with an expansive mindset,” said Rajiv Lochan, Managing Director and CEO of Kasturi and Sons Limited, in his inaugural address.
Dr. Nirmala Lakshman, Director, Kasturi and Sons Limited, in a special address, spoke of the need to bridge the gap between the affluent and those who cannot afford expensive options in higher education.
“Institutions have recognised that young people are the building blocks and that they have a responsibility to steer them to success and towards growing into sharp-thinking young adults,” she said, adding that the media had a crucial and dynamic role in safeguarding the rights of the people. “The road ahead is an adventure — be open,” she said.
In parallel with the talks, students could be seen exploring the stalls of different institutions to find courses of their choice. Maya, who has completed her bachelor’s in audiology and speech-language pathology, described the fair as an “open book” full of information. Hariharan and Raghavan, who have just given their Class XII exams, made enquiries at the SASTRA University stall. “I found the information I was looking for on company secretaryship at ICSI and MBA at Galaxy group of institutions,” said Y. Niveditha who has a B.Com. from MOP Vaishnav College for Women, Chennai.
