Go beyond textbooks to develop skills: Varun Gandhi

‘Old skills and methods of programming not sufficient in today’s scenario’

Varun Gandhi, MP (right), interacting with students of Sri Krishna College of Engineering and Technology at the Youth Conclave on Nation Building in Coimbatore on Friday.

Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Sultanpur Varun Gandhi has urged students to go beyond textbooks to develop skills.

Addressing students at the Youth Conclave on Nation Building, organised by the Sri Krishna College of Engineering & Technology here on Friday, he said that a report by an Indian Institute of Technology suggested that only 4.80 per cent students from the top 500 colleges in the country met the minimum requirements for programming jobs.

Old skills and methods of programming were not sufficient in today’s scenario. Students of today ought to know cyber security, data science, machine learning and much more, most of which colleges did not teach today.

Around 75,000 IT employees lost their jobs in the past year, notwithstanding the fact that the Central Government spent ₹1.30 lakh crore for developing education in the country. But 80 per cent of the money was used for developing the infrastructure. The colleges, therefore, should focus on developing students’ skill sets.

Mr. Gandhi also said that though women constituted 52 per cent of the population, they occupied only 11 per cent seats in Parliament and nine per cent in Legislatures. And even among those, many were from families with political connections.

This should change in such a way that women, without men’s support and from families without political background, should join politics.

S. Malarvizhi, Chairperson and Managing Director, Sri Krishna Institutions, presided over the meeting. Vinoj P. Selva, State president, BJP Youth Wing, K. Vasantharajan, State General Secretary, BJP Youth Wing and others were also present.