On Friday, October 6, Dr MC Sudhakar, Higher Education Minister of Karnataka, urged students to take up clinical courses on speech and hearing, which can help underprivileged individuals live a respectful life. He was speaking at the SR Chandrasekhar Institute of Speech and Hearing on the occasion of its 46th Founder’s Day and graduation ceremony. 

The event also hosted a donors meeting in Bengaluru. “Many just want to hop onto the bandwagon and be part of courses such as medicine, dentistry, law, and commerce, but not many want to help contribute to society. However, you have pledged to help the disabled and instill confidence in them," the minister said, as per a report by The New Indian Express.

Sudhakar also encouraged the opening of more such institutions across India, so that they could be accessed by many needy individuals. The minister lauded SR Chandrasekhar Institute for building exceptional facilities for children with hearing and speech problems.

Members of the institution requested Sudhakar to consider some grants for the offered courses as the institute was not able to provide students with the same salary packages as private and government colleges in this niche field. The SR Chandrasekhar Institute would be approaching the education department to discuss the proposal further.

Donors and ENT experts were also felicitated during the event for their contributions. Over 20 students were awarded degrees for Masters in Audiology, as per TNIE.