The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that real education must help to build the character, capacity, calibre and conduct. He was addressing the Annual Convocation 2018 of the Birla Institute of Management and Technology, in Noida, UP today.The Vice President said that India’s very young human resource capital is our greatest wealth and the country must be able to effectively harness nation’s demographic dividend. He further said that this is rich human potential can turn into a force multiplier only when the youngsters acquire adequate skills and expertise in tune with the requirements of various sectors like industry, agriculture and services.The Vice President asked educational institutions to reorient their syllabi and methods of pedagogy to prepare tomorrow’s students, who will not only be articulate and self-confident, but also well-equipped to face the challenges of the 21st century. He further said that we need to have a stable and expanding educational infrastructure at all levels and the Government of India is very much alive to this pressing need.The need to increase focus on research publications in Management institutions like BIMTECH, he added.Underling the importance of skill development, the Vice President said government is implementing various schemes in association with institutions like NASSCOM to implement skill upgradation programmes in association with educational and professional bodies.
He further said that skilling in different vocations is very crucial for India to emerge as one of the top countries in the manufacturing and services sectors. The Skill India programme seeks to bridge skills deficit in various areas and the progress of such initiatives is being monitored constantly and course corrections are being made wherever needed, he said.Saying that it is the best time for talented youth to not only look for opportunities but also create their own businesses in India, the Vice President said that management students must aspire to be job creators and not job seekers. He further said that the youth must take advantage of the opportunities created by the government to push for entrepreneur-based employment. Various initiatives like Startup India, Stand Up India and Make in India will help in tapping the entrepreneurial talent in the country, he added.The Vice President said that Education does not end with the acquisition of degrees or completion of college curriculum and the real education must help to build your character, capacity and calibre and ensure that you always conduct yourselves with dignity and equanimity, irrespective of the daunting challenges. Education is not only for employment but for empowerment and enlightenment of an individual, he added.