Vellore: The Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) is way ahead of most premier higher education institutions in India in the publication of research papers, a vital factor taken into account the world over for grading a university.
“We have overtaken all the IITs except IIT-Delhi and IIT-Kharagpur. Very soon, VIT will be at the very top. We are aiming to grow as big as the MIT (top-ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology)”, said VIT Chancellor Dr G Viswanathan.
Acknowledging the warm felicitations on his 75th birthday at the VIT on Sunday, where his biographies in English and Tamil were released, GV (as he is fondly known) recounted the tough times in building up VIT as the ‘second chapter’ in his life after retiring from politics.
He said along with VIT that was now globally recognised and had about 25,000 students from 50 countries, including China, and almost all the states in India, he had endeavoured to improve the academic opportunities for the underprivileged in the state through scholarships and even free education at the VIT.
Lamenting that India’s GER (gross enrolment ratio), an indicator of students enrolling for higher education, was a mere 19 per cent as compared with USA (89%), Russia (76%) and Korea (over 90%), GV said VIT had started ‘Universal Higher EducÂation Trust’ to help all the students passing out of plus-two to go for higher education. “I hope this project will create positive ripples in other parts of India as well”.
GV said India had great opportunities of emerging as a major producer in core areas, such as agriculture, technology and education. “And in India, Tamil Nadu has huge potential. We must work hard to get there”.
Former MP Era Sezhiyan, Congress MP M KrishnasÂwamy, SatyabÂhama UnivÂersity ChanÂcellor Jeppiaar, CPI state secretary D PanÂdian and Rafeeq Ahmed, president, Federation of Indian Export OrganisÂations (FIEO), were among those present on the occasion to felicitate GV on his illustrious public life.
