Students' skills need to be honed for India's growth: NIT-T

Tiruchirapalli, May 4 (UNI) Chairman of Board of Governors of National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirapalli (NIT-T) R Seshasayee has said India's massive economic growth could be sustained only if the research resources and quality of skill sets provided to the students were augmented.

Addressing the second Alumni-day at NIT-T here yesterday, Mr Seshasaye, who is also the Managing Director of Ashok Leyland, Chennai, said the industries were starved of quality workers at all levels and the present education system teaches only outdated modes of skills to the students.

The Chairman said the developed countries find it hard to meet the growing demand for working people while the demography of India, rich with young population, has put the country's youth in high demand. Lack of skills and efficient governance has prevented Indians to take up this opportunity, he added.

He said the alumni holding top positions should take the initiative in training the students and providing them the link to various industries.

In his address, NIT-T Director M Chidambaram, urged the alumni to create endowment for offering financial support to the research scholars visiting International Universities and must play an ambassador's role in networking students with high-profile professionals and sensitise them to the prevailing practices in the industries, he added.

He also informed that a Rs 25-crore budget had been prepared to renovate all the laboratories and the buildings of the NIT-T.

Earlier, Mr Seshasayee and the Founder Principal of NIT-T(formerly the Regional Engineering College) and the first Vice-Chancellor of the Bharathidasan University, P S Manisundaram presented the distinguished alumni awards.

Professor of Management, College of Business, Auburn University, Chetan Sankar, Director of Centre for Vision, University of Florida Research Foundation, Baba C Vemuri, Professor of Computer Science, Rice University and Krishna V Palem, Director of California Institute for Telecom and IT, were among others who received the awards.

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