Inaugurating the Vellore International School (VIS) at Kayar, near Kelambakkam, established by the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday, June 27, appealed to schools across nations to foster the spirit of curiosity, innovation and excellence among the students. Stating the best skill the schools can present with, the VP said, "Challenges and opportunities abound in a technology-driven fast-changing world and in this context the best skill schools could impart to a student is adaptability," as stated in a report by PTI.
At the inaugural ceremony, the Vice-President stressed that "Students must be trained to think quickly on their feet, be agile and innovate using cutting-edge technologies to solve 21st-century problems." Venkaiah Naidu, while appreciating the varsity's progress in their educational journey, said, "The VIT Group has been making consistent efforts to strengthen higher education in the private sector and I am confident this institution will be another feather in their cap."
While stating the suggestion of what is best for students, the VP said, "Educational strategy should be aligned to futuristic approach and shun rote learning. Also, artificial segregation between curricular and extracurricular activities should be dispensed with and the students encouraged in multidiscipline," as stated in a report by PTI. Calling out to schools, the VP said, "It is my fervent appeal to the schools across the nation to foster the spirit of curiosity, innovation and excellence in students." As per the information given to the VP, VIS is trying to initiate the concept of 'house parent' by incorporating the positive aspects of Guru-Shishya tradition with modern pedagogical practices.
The VP, while focusing on imparting education in one's mother tongue, urged teachers to pay attention to the use of the mother tongue wherever possible. He added that at least till the primary level, the medium of instruction should be in the mother tongue in public and private schools, as stated in a report by PTI. "We must encourage students to speak freely in their mother tongue in their social environment on the school premises, at all the cultural events and in their homes. Only when we can freely and proudly speak our mother tongue can we truly appreciate our cultural heritage."
Venkaiah Naidu further clarified that focusing on the mother tongue doesn't mean encouraging others not to learn other languages like English and added that one should definitely pick up learning as many languages as possible. "What is required is a strong foundation in the mother language. Proficiency in other languages, in addition to one's mother tongue, helps build cultural bridges and opens windows to new worlds of experience," he said. By specifying that education without values is no education at all, Naidu said, "Academic institutions should strive to provide the required facilities and encourage students to take up regular physical activity," as stated in a report by PTI.
Chairman of VIS and Vice-President of VIT GV Selvam said, "VIS is the result of 6 years of detailed brainstorming and meticulous planning. We envision the school to nurture creativity and foster a spirit of innovation in young minds." The Chairman, giving details about the space of the medical college, said, "Though the space required to establish a medical college is 20 acres, this school has been raised on 35 acres of land and designed with provision for ample open spaces, bright sunlight and a peaceful ambience."
Considering the plight of Indian students pursuing medical abroad, especially the Russia-Ukraine war-affected ones, VIT Founder-Chancellor G Viswanathan urged the Central Government to increase the intake of students in the Indian medical colleges across the country and help lakhs of students realise their dreams of becoming doctors, as stated in a report by PTI. "Hence, the government should address this problem by increasing the intake of students in medical colleges by considering introducing a shift system of education. This ought to be done as a priority as we need to address the serious issue of shortage of doctors in India."
Chief Minister MK Stalin's message congratulating VIT on starting Vellore International School was read out by Tamil Nadu MSME Minister TM Anbarasan.
