President Murmu calls on institutes to become adaptable to new-age technologies
Sep 03, 2022
New Delhi [India], September 3 : Highlighting the evolving technologies and changing employment dynamics, President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday called upon educational institutes to become adaptable to the future.
Speaking at the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of IIT Delhi today, President Murmu said, "IITs proved to the world the capability of India in the domains of education and technology. In more than one way, the story of the IITs is the story of Independent India. The IITs have contributed immensely to India's improved standing on the global stage today.
She said the faculty and alumni of IITs have shown the world our brainpower. Some of those who studied in IIT Delhi and in other IITs are now at the forefront of the digital revolution sweeping the world, she noted.
"Moreover, the impact of IITs has gone beyond science and technology. IITians are leaders in every walk of life - in education, industry, entrepreneurship, civil society, activism, journalism, literature and politics," Murmu said.
The President noted that IIT Delhi had designed and developed rapid antigen test kits, PPEs, antimicrobial fabrics, high-efficiency face masks and low-cost ventilators, among other things strengthening the nation's fight against the COVID pandemic.
She said IIT Delhi's contribution in India's fight against the coronavirus has been a model of how engineering and technology institutions too can play a role in a public health crisis.
The President said, "By 2047, when we will celebrate the centenary of Independence, the world around us will have changed drastically, thanks to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Just as we were in no position 25 years ago to imagine the contemporary world, we cannot visualise today how Artificial Intelligence and automation are going to transform life. With our high population numbers, we need to have foresight and strategies in place to deal with the forces of the future where disruptions will be a new normal. The nature of employment will get completely changed."
The President said that if we take steps to protect ourselves from vagaries of the future, we can reap rich demographic dividends. "We need to make our institutes adaptable to the future. This will require a new teaching-learning matrix, pedagogy and content which are future-oriented," she said.
Pointing to the fact that climate change poses a serious challenge, the President said that as a developing country with a high population base, our energy requirement for economic growth is very high. Hence we need to shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
She said that in the years to come, as the world anxiously looks for technological solutions to environmental challenges, she trusts India's young engineers and scientists will help humankind achieve a breakthrough.
