Education key to India to becoming a developed nation: VIT Chancellor

 Vellore: Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Chancellor Dr. G. Viswanathan said that the transformative role of education in shaping India’s future. Addressing thousands of graduates, on the eve of VIT’s 40th Convocation on Friday, he emphasized that India’s aspiration to become a developed nation by 2047 hinges on robust investment and reform in the education sector.

The ceremony, held at VIT’s Vellore campus, was attended by distinguished guests including Supreme Court Justice R. Mahadevan, who served as the chief guest and conferred degrees upon the graduating students. A total of 11,563 students were honored—8,310 with undergraduate degrees, 2,802 with postgraduate degrees, and 451 with doctoral degrees. Among them, 203 students were recognized for academic rankings and 68 received gold medals for outstanding performance. Tamil Nadu Police Academy Director DGP Sandeep Rai Rathore was conferred a Ph.D. in Disaster Management. Sivakumar Sundaram, CEO of The Times of India, also graced the occasion as guest of honor.

In a symbolic tribute to India’s scientific legacy, student hostels named after Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Jagadish Chandra Bose were inaugurated during the event.

In his keynote address, Dr. Viswanathan reiterated the long-standing demand to allocate 6% of India’s GDP to education, lamenting that only 3% is currently spent. “State governments shoulder 75% of the education expenditure, while the central government contributes the rest. Tamil Nadu leads the way by dedicating 21% of its budget to education,” he noted.