Be job providers not job seekers: Sisodia tells students

NEW DELHI: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday said eminent institutes like the Delhi Technological University (DTU) and the IITs should groom students to become job providers and not job seekers.
Addressing the fifth convocation of the DTU, he said those who create jobs should be called patriots.
"We should become job providers and not job seekers. We are creating minds which can get jobs that pay Rs 1.1 crore per annum but how many people are there that can give job that pay Rs 1.1 crore," Sisodia said.
There should be an analysis of how many students gave jobs to others in the last four to five years, the deputy chief minister said.
"In today's times, the tension is not on the borders but the fact that the country is facing the issue of unemployment. Jawans are standing on the borders guarding them," he said, adding, "People have degrees but not jobs. The person who provides jobs should be called a patriot and should be acknowledged."
Sisodia said there is a need to redefine the grading system on which universities are ranked and there must be parameters that rank universities on how many job providers they are creating.
"The DTUs and the IITs, should make a resolution to create job providers and not job seekers. If they are creating job seekers, there are issues with curriculum design and there should be introspection," he said.
A total of 2,099 degrees were conferred during the convocation. These included 1,647 undergraduate, 383 post-graduates and 69 PhDs. Two chancellor medals and 43 vice chancellor medals were also awarded at the event.
Delhi L-G Anil Baijal, who is the chancellor of DTU, emphasised on preparing individuals for contributing to social issues, like healthcare, environment, cyber security and artificial intelligence.
"Your mind is a powerhouse of energy and unrealised potential. With your skills, knowledge and creative energies, you must offer a part of your life for changing other lives. If each one of you is able to bring a positive change in a person's life, imagine the high surge of overall accomplishment that you shall bring to yourself, your family members, friends and your university," he told students.
Baijal advised the university to keep revising its syllabus in order to cope with the demands of a highly competitive industry.
DTU Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh urged the students to remember their responsibilities towards the nation and to never indulge in any activity which is not in the interest of the country.
He said the Delhi government has given the institute a grant of Rs 293 crore and for constructing two academic blocks and hostels. The capacity of girls' hostel will be 660 while that of boys will be 330, Singh said.
UGC Chairman Prof D P Singh said the higher education institutes should come up with solutions to combat pollution and provide environmental sustainability.
"Excellence does not come by accident, rather it is a process of striving to better oneself," he said.
While the convocation was underway, around 125 students of BTech(evening) course sat outside the administration building protesting that they were kept in the dark that the course was a "part-time" one.
"It was only after we filed RTIs, we got to know about it. Our degrees will be of no use to us in getting employment. We want a resolution to the issue. We met the vice-chancellor and he told us the word part-time would not be written on our degrees but there was no word from him assuring us that the course would be treated as a full-time course," a student said.
The protesters alleged that the university's security personnel and policemen acted "forcefully" against them despite them holding the protest peacefully.
They also alleged that the route of Baijal's car was changed so that he does not get to meet the aggrieved students and accused the administration of ensuring they do not get to meet Sisodia to share their grievances with him.