New Delhi: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday exhorted students to join the national effort to make education more inclusive by taking it to the underprivileged and needier sections of society.

He pointed out that the government is making every effort to change the educational landscape of the country and to make it more equitable, inclusive and accessible. Naidu added: “We should be mindful of the fact that we cannot afford to let any section of society fall behind when it comes to education and socio-economic development.”

The Vice President made these observations while addressing the students and staff of The Lawrence School at Lovedale in the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu on his visit to the school. “Education, most powerful agent of change to provide impetus to development,” said Naidu, adding that India stands on the threshold of becoming one of the front-ranking nations in the world.

He described education as the most powerful agent of change which can lend an impetus to the pace of the country’s development while giving it a qualitative thrust. He observed that India today stands poised on the threshold of becoming one of the front-ranking nations in the world.

Referring to the rich demographic dividend which India boasts of, he underscored the need to leverage it to our advantage mentioning the fact that more than 65 per cent of India’s population is under 35 years of age. “Harnessed to their full potential, the talent and creative energies of our young minds will power India into the league of the strongest nations on the world stage,” Naidu said. /BI/