India has set a world record with 40 % enrolment of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, Chairman, University Grants Commission, New Delhi, said in Coimbatore on Friday.
Over the past decade, there has been a surge in the enrolment of female students in higher education from 1.57 crore to 2.07 crore. The number of females securing Ph.D degrees has gone up by 107 % in the last 10 years, the UGC Chairman said, addressing the 35th Annual Convocation of Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women (Deemed to be University). Twenty percent of the enterprises in the country are led by women. India ranks third in having the best eco-system for start-ups and there is 10 % participation in it for women. The progress has been possible owing to access to high-quality education, Prof. Jagadesh Kumar said, while speaking on the availability of immense opportunities for exploration.
As the youngest nation and fastest-growing economy racing to become the third largest in the world in the coming years, India with its best digital infrastructure has charted the course for transforming into the global hub for chip manufacture, the UGC Chairman said. What India does for the 20 percent of global population it accounts for was being seen as a template (for emulation) in the world arena, the UGC Chairman said.
Technology was evolving and it was imperative for the students to be life-long learners. The student community ought to develop the trait of resilience to face failures, learn from the debacles and move forward. Only through critical thinking can new ideas emerge for innovation, he emphasised.
Presiding over the convocation ceremony, T.S.K. Meenakshisundaram, Chancellor and Managing Trustee of Avinashilingam Education Trust, spoke of the importance of building the values of nobility of intention and strength of persistence to work for collective good alongside academic achievements, to reach the heights of success
Presenting the annual report, Vice-Chancellor V. Bharathi Harishankar said the institution was implementing NEP 2020 proactively, aligning its educational strategies to Sustainable Development Goals as well.
The UGC Chairman and the Chancellor conferred degrees on 2,700 candidates from all disciplines including 93 medal winners. In all, 44 Ph.D graduands, 17 PG diploma holders, 723 postgraduates and 1,916 undergraduates received their degree certificates.
