Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday asked the youngsters and students to use science and technology and their intellect to bring in a positive change in the lives of people.

Addressing the 1st Convocation of Indian Institute of Information Technology, Sri City (IIIT Sri City), in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh, Naidu called upon the youth to make impactful contributions to the society by providing solutions to pressing problems of the nation such as poverty, illiteracy, climate change, hidden hunger, urban-rural divide, and others.

Asking students to set new benchmarks and try to achieve them with sincerity, discipline and hard work, the Vice President advised them not to remain complacent and to put in optimal efforts to reach their goals.

Opining that Universities and Institutes of Excellence such as IIT, ISB, IIM and IIITs must instill leadership qualities in students, he suggested revamping the teaching methodologies to develop a quest for learning in students.

He called upon institutions such as the IIIT Sri City to strive to become centers of excellence with global standards by offering a holistic and quality higher education to students.

The Vice President while expressing concern over poor global ranking of Indian Higher Educational Institutions, stressed the need to completely revamp the higher education system.

He asked universities to play a leading role by incorporating relevant changes in curriculum, teaching methodologies and research strategies to make India a hub for global learning.

Observing that economic prosperity must ensure equitable development, Shri Naidu called for a special focus on bridging the urban-rural divide in education, health, and other areas.

He also stressed upon the need to ensure inclusive development to create a harmonious society where different sections of the society could get access to the wealth created. 

The Vice President said that academic institutions with all technical and human resources must encourage their students to work with local societies and offer technology-based solutions to the problems faced by them. He also wanted the academic institutions to maintain regular coordination with industry and the government to prepare the students for jobs of the future.

Pointing that Indian economy was expected to register a growth rate of 7.3 percent this fiscal and 7.5 percent in 2020, Naidu wanted the universities, institutions of higher learning to play a key role in India’s growth story.

He tasked them to maximize the potential of India's demographic dividend by imparting employable skills and also provide training to youth.