Jammu: President of India, Ramnath Kovind today said that that education is the greatest enabler and the future of our country depends on good education of our young population.
He made these remarks while addressing 5th Annual Convocation of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Jammu this evening.
Speaking on the occasion, the President said Institutes like IIM Jammu are nurturing our youth and these talented young people are going to build the India of the future.
“They are going to make the lives of the people, better, and the country, stronger,” he said.
He said that the National Education Policy seeks to position India as a ‘Knowledge Hub’ in today’s knowledge economy.
“It seeks to make our youth equipped for the world of 21st century while preserving our ancient values which remain relevant even today,” he said.
He said that for India to become a global knowledge hub, institutes of learning have to be globally comparable and added that he was happy to note that the number of Indian institutions in the global ranking is gradually increasing.
He said that new institutions like IIM Jammu should quickly adopt global best practices and aspire for higher ranking.
The President said that aided by convergence of technologies and opportunities, many start-ups have become very successful and are being described as the emerging mainstay of the Indian economy. Unicorns, most of which are set up by young people, must be a source of inspiration for all students and the mindset of being a job-giver and not a job-seeker among the youth of India is one of the key factors in our country.
He expressed his pleasure that IIM Jammu, in collaboration with DICCI and CII, is going to set up a special diversity cell for helping potential entrepreneurs from scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.
The President advised students to remain quick learners and re-learners throughout their life.
“The role of fast paced technological changes is going to be disruptive. The shelf life of technologies is getting shorter. Therefore, the shelf life of management and leadership styles is also going to be shorter. To deal with such a scenario, you have to move from the mindset of ‘utilising the known’ to the approach of ‘exploring the unknown’,” the President told students.
He advised students to keep an open mind, an open heart and a strong will.
Commending girls for getting the top three gold medals, Kovind said that India is moving forward with greater women empowerment.
A total of 214 students were conferred with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree this year.
The main highlight of the convocation was that 77 female students were awarded their degrees.
On this occasion, the President also inaugurated the Diversity Cell at IIM, Jammu.
He will also pay obeisance at the shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi tomorrow.
