Shimla: The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu graced and addressed the 7th convocation of Central University of Himachal Pradesh at Dharamshala on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that change is the law of nature. But, the pace of change was not so rapid in the past. Today we are in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution. New areas like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning are emerging rapidly. Both the speed and magnitude of change are very high, due to which technology and required skills are changing very quickly. At the beginning of the 21st century no one knew what kind of skills people would need in the next 20 or 25 years. Similarly, many current skills will no longer be useful in the future. Therefore, we have to continuously adopt new skills. Our focus should be on developing flexible minds so that the young generation can keep pace with the rapid changes taking place. We have to strengthen the curiosity and the desire to learn in the students to prepare them for facing the challenges of the 21st century.

Addressing the teachers, the President said that education should be such that along with educating the students, it makes them self-reliant and builds their character and personality. The aim of education is also to bring awareness among the students about their culture, tradition and civilization. She stressed that the role of teachers is very important in this regard. Their scope of work is not limited to teaching only, and they have the huge responsibility of building the future of the nation.

The President said that our focus should be on ‘what to learn’ as well as ‘how to learn’. She underlined that when students learn independently, without any stress, their creativity and imagination take flight. In that case they do not consider education as just a synonym for livelihood. Rather, they innovate, find solutions to problems, and learn with curiosity.

Addressing the students, the President said that every person has the potential for both good and evil. She advised them to keep in mind that no matter how difficult the situation they are in, they should never let evil dominate them. They should always take the side of good. She urged them to make human values ​​like compassion, conscientiousness and sensitivity their ideals. She said that based on these values, they can live a successful and meaningful life.

The President said that the youth have immense potential for growth. They are the most important link to fulfil the resolve of a developed India. Therefore, they should dedicate themselves to the nation. This is not only their human, social and moral duty but also their duty as citizens. /BI