Colleges should provide diploma in entrepreneurship: Kalam

Chennai, Feb 1 (UNI) Former President A P J Abdul Kalam today said colleges should offer diploma courses for UG students in 'entrepreneurship' to enable them to start their own business.

Speaking at the Loyola College here, after presenting Mother Teresa Award for the Corporate Citizen 2006 to power company NTPC, he said, ''six months of the three year UG courses could be used for this purpose, as a diploma would serve as a gateway for a student to start business. All the nearly four million students, passing out every year could not get a government job.'' Holding a degree as well as a diploma would help a student to come up in life, he added.

He called for more creative leaders in entrepreneurship in India and said, ''we need leaders who can exercise a vision to change traditions that will develop the country.'' A country's progress depended on ethical citizens, he said, calling for value-based education in this regard. ''Value based education leads to righteousness and the three people - father, mother and the primary school teacher - can provide it and if you miss it once, its missed forever,'' he added.

Dr Kalam also inaugurated a science exhibition in Chettinad Vidyashram school and interacted with the students.

Referring to ''vision-2020,'' Dr Kalam said he envisaged an India free of corruption, terrorism and crime against women and children.

Talking on PURA (Providing Urban amenities in Rural Areas) he said entrepreneurs could adopt villages under it, as it would be a thriving business enterprise and not just a social resposibility.

UNI VV GKT SP RN2153