The Indian higher education system is in transition and the emphasis at the moment is on innovation and entrepreneurship aided by policy interventions to encourage startup culture in the institutional campuses, said K. Radhakrishnan, former Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Addressing students of SRM University-AP on the occasion of the second convocation in virtual mode, Dr. Radhakrishnan said: “In our higher educational institutions, we have one of the best talent pool of the world as faculty, post-doctoral researchers and research scholars and the stage is set for orchestrating core competencies, to nurture inter-disciplinary culture and mobilise institutional synergy to address impactful problem-solving for the nation and its people.”
“Convocations are milestones,” he said, and adding that they recognise not just the accomplishment of significant goal but also the promise of an exciting future” and urged students to take action on key technical, social and environmental issues “the world is facing today. We all need to be looking for better ways to achieve an improved living environment for the humankind while we walk on our way to personal growth.”
He said technology security was paramount to realise the Vision India 2047. “The defining role of science, technology and innovation for national growth is well-recognised for long,” he pointed out, reiterating that technology will drive the governance practices in future- citizen science, crowd-sourcing, volunteered GIS and social computing among other things.
Speaking about disruptive technologies transforming the way the society lives, he said going by the developments in the last five years, it was easy to say that the future promises “an accelerated pace that we have never seen and envisages before.”
Dr. Radhakrishnan said exploring outer space “continues to excite and enrich us. We have mastered complex technologies and achieved self-reliance in access to outer space. Barring a few heavy communication satellites, all Indian satellites are lofted by the Indian launchers,” he said.
S. Chandrasekhar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, elaborated on how the country had achieved food security and other securities over the years. “But in the process, we forgot about our planet security,” he said pointing to the grave threat of global warming.
He said students should start thinking of sustainability and urged them to take an oath to contribute their mite in making this planet sustainable. He also emphasised the need to promote gender equality.
The founder Chancellor of the University T. R. Paarivendhar, president and Pro-Chancellor P. Sathyanarayana, Vice-Chancellor Manoj K. Arora, members of the Board of Governors, Board of Management and Academic Council, Deans and faculty were present.
