Institute of Public Enterprise (IPE), the premier B-School located in Hyderabad, observed its Convocation 2023 on February 15, 2023 with academic grandeur and fervour. The convocation started by welcoming chief guest, Dr Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and former professor, Centre for Economic Studies & Planning, School of Social Sciences, JNU. The convocation was attended by a galaxy of about 2,500 luminaries from academia, industry and the government along with IPE Board of Governors, faculty, staff, alumni, students, parents and representatives from the media and press.
K Madhava Rao, IAS, President, Board of Governors (BoG), IPE and former Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh and Election Commissioner; Mahapar Ali, Former CGM (L&D) Corporate Centre, State Bank of India; Dr Yerram Raju, former Director IPE; Prof K Hara Gopal, former Director, IPE along with Prof S Sreenivasa Murthy, Director, IPE and Prof MLN Rao, CoE, IPE participated in the celebrations.
The academic procession led by the IPE Director and President followed by the chief guest, Members of the Board of Governors and Controller of Examinations marked the beginning of ceremonial celebrations. Convocation 2023 recorded the highest number, 2118, of students passing out from IPE (509 of the PGP Class of 2019, 538 of the PGP Class of 2020, 541 of the PGP Class of 2021 and 530 of the PGP Class of 2022), of which, 948 students were present during the convocation for taking degrees in person.
Prof S Sreenivasa Murthy, Director, IPE while welcoming the guests, highlighted the history and glory of the institute, its accolades and the contributions made in the areas of management education, training, research and consultancy, and outreach to academia and industry. He also emphasised IPE’s role in Learning and Development programmes organised for IAS officers and the strong linkages established with central and state-level public enterprises.
K Madhava Rao, President, Board of Governors (BoG), IPE declared the Convocation 2023 open and addressed the audience. Madhava Rao, while congratulating the graduating students, traversed through IPE’s rich history and contributions made in the area of policy-making. In his address, Madhava Rao highlighted the significance of ethics and values by quoting famous philosophers and economists. He expressed his concern over India’s rapid transformation in its philosophical approach and reiterated the role of ethics in economic development and nation-building. He urged the students to pay equal attention to ethical values and practices and emoluments.
Prof Jayati Ghosh awarded medals and PG diplomas to 948 students and delivered the Convocation Address on India’s Post-COVID Economy: Challenges and Pathways to a Better Future. Prof Jayati Ghosh, in her touching address, reiterated the fact that the poor and the informal sector were hit hard by the pandemic, despite the measures taken by the government as observing prescribed norms like social distancing, regular washing of hands and so on was impossible for rural poor residing in small houses and water scarce areas. During the pandemic, many people working in the informal sector lost their jobs and still, its impact is seen in the employment sector with reduced job opportunities. She lamented that still, the caste system and inequality are dealt with in a terrible manner in society. She said celebrating the middle-class recovery is not a solution for achieving a prosperous economy as long as the needs and interests of marginalised sections are being neglected. She appealed to the graduate students terming them as "India’s hope" to strive for holistic economic development where there is development for everyone. Finally, she urged the students to work in their own capacities for reducing the prevailing inequalities in society in terms of gender, caste, status and so on.
D Lakshmi Swathi (Class of 2019), Abhimanyu Dewan (Class of 2020), Sharmishta Mukherjee (Class of 2021) and B Varsha (Class of 2022) received the medals.
The celebrations came to a close with a formal Vote of Thanks proposed by Prof MLN Rao, CoE, IPE. Convocation 2023 witnessed several emotional and vibrant moments as friends, classmates and families embraced each other with happiness and pride.
