Minister for primary education S. Sailajanath on Friday asked students to upgrade their academic and scientific knowledge from time to time to keep pace with emerging trends in the field of education.

Inaugurating the two-day South India Educational and Science Fair-2012 in Tirupati, Mr Sailajanath said that the Congress government had earmarked Rs.20,000 crore for the education sector. He said that students are going to play a major role in nation-building. “The greatest asset of India is its youth power,” he said. “In 1981, Hyderabad hosted the science fair. Now, I am happy that after 13 years, Tirupati was selected as the venue for the scientific event,” he added.

He asked parents and teachers to guide students and monitor their progress periodically. He dwelt at length on the stress factor faced by students in schools and colleges. He felt that students should be taught methodologies to fight stress from early days of career. He expressed his happiness at the 180-plus scientific exhibits at the venue.

Over 500 members, including students, teachers and parents, from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Pondicherry, Kar-nataka and AP took part in the session. Rajiv Vidya Mission state director R.V. Chandravadan also spoke and explained the objectives of the mission.