Asserting that education is the real wealth that cannot be stolen, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday, July 5, called upon the youth to study hard and prosper in their lives.
Speaking at the 182nd convocation of the Presidency College, which is also his alma mater, the Chief Minister said, "Education is the real wealth that can't be stolen. They say education is like an ocean and this college is literally situated near the sea. Hardly a few colleges have such unique landscape features."
The CM also urged girls to pursue higher education and land jobs instead of quitting after marriage. "Women who have special talents in arts, literature, drama, dance and sports as well as those who got centum quit everything after marriage. They should create a situation where they can use their talent and wisdom throughout their entire life," he said.
On the occasion, the CM also announced that an auditorium with a seating capacity of 2,000 and a hostel for physically-challenged students would be constructed at the college. The auditorium will be named after former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.
Reminiscing his days as a student at the college, Stalin said though he enrolled in the Political Science course on June 15, 1972, he could not pursue the course wholeheartedly as he was more interested in politics and was involved in campaigning for the DMK. He talked about the day he came to write the exam in police protection after he was detained under the Maintenance of Internal Security (MISA) Act during the Emergency in 1975.
"I couldn't continue my studies. Over 500 DMK members including myself were detained under the MISA and the DMK government which opposed the Emergency was dismissed. During the detention, I came to college with police protection and wrote the exam," said Stalin.
Highlighting his government's work, the Chief Minister said the education scenario, especially higher education, is far better now than during his college days. "Our government has not only created infrastructure but also extended financial assistance to enable the students to pursue higher education," he said.
In total, 3,210 students, 1613 from Arts disciplines and 1597 from Science disciplines, were awarded degrees during the event.
