VIT-Chennai holds 13th Annual convocation; 6,581 students graduate

The 13th annual convocation of VIT Chennai was held on Saturday. Dr Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services, Government of Tamil Nadu, participated as the chief guest and presented medals and degree certificates to rank holders and PhD scholars.

Shelley Salehin, Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh at the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Chennai, was the guest of honour. Dr G Viswanathan, Founder and Chancellor of Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), presided over the ceremony. VIT Vice-Presidents Mr Sankar Viswanathan and Dr GV Selvam also took part.

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In his address, Dr Palanivel Thiaga Rajan emphasized the importance of universal access to education across genders, communities, and religions. He urged youth to pursue their own vision and highlighted the need for integrating humanities, social sciences, and law in technical institutions.

Recalling Tamil Nadu’s pioneering role in introducing compulsory education for both boys and girls over a century ago, he said, “For over a century, we have seen in Tamil Nadu that education is the key to good societal outcomes. The notions of social justice and equity start with equal access to education. In this sense, I commend Dr G Viswanathan for his vision many decades ago, and how he has changed the face of education in Tamil Nadu and other parts of the country.”

Guest of honour Shelley Salehin stressed that character and talent were the two most important virtues for young people. He said the convocation was not only a celebration for students but also for parents and faculty who had supported them throughout their journey.

In his remarks, Chancellor Dr. G. Viswanathan noted that access to higher education was possible largely because of parental investment. He urged both the Centre and State governments to increase funding for education, particularly higher education.

This year, 6,581 undergraduate, postgraduate, and research scholars received their degrees.

VIT Vice-Chancellor Dr. V.S. Kanchana Bhaaskaran, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of VIT Chennai Dr. T. Thyagarajan, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of VIT Vellore Dr. Partha Sharathi Mallick, and VIT Registrar Dr. T. Jayabarathi also attended the ceremony.